In the TTH 8:40 ESL class, Hye presented her slideshow on transitions. As a reference tool, students can look at her embedded slideshow below.
*Just ignore Slide 13 though ... any use of "I think" or "In my opinion" will set off red flags in my head.
The rest of the slides look fine and offer helpful words to transition between various ideas. They can be used within paragraphs or between one paragraph to the next (look at Slide 2 specifically for points on when to use transitions).
Also, some students like to set up the body paragraphs by writing "First," "Second," "Third," to start off each paragraph. If that is a habit, try to think of more creative transition words because those three words are often overused and signal a lack of creativity.
A variety of words makes an essay more interesting.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Difference Between the Common Blog and Formal Essays/Articles
One morning in the MW 9:10 class, students were given the option to work on their essays or analyze articles. Nearly the entire class chose the former option, but one student, Emily, chose the latter.
So, Emily and I worked together while everyone else typed.
I actually brought one blog post and one "real article" from the New York Times.
The blog post link came from the Florida State Inkwell. In the post, the author discusses Florida State and their use of the Seminole name.
Interest Coverage, FSU, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida
Emily read and afterwards decided the use of first-person writing and other informal language categorized the writing as a blog post.
Next came the New York Times article, where the authors discuss the use of rap lyrics in a court trial. The two men present their case well here, in that rap lyrics are rap lyrics and do not necessarily reflect the character of a defendant, and they use a variety of logos, pathos and ethos as well. Yet, they also favor third person throughout the article.
Rap Lyrics on Trial
She read the article and made the distinction of how the author presented his topic and case with a different style of writing than the blog post, which made it more suitable for a major newspaper. I meant to come back to this lesson for the entire class, but never did.
Anyways, skim through the blog post and article quickly to see the differences.
Staying away from first or second person might be impossible for some students. But, at least, tone down on the use of certain words (I, me, you, etc.).
Once in a while authors use first and second person in formal writing anyway, even for major newspapers or other kinds of articles, but I wonder if those authors ever took upper-division English. For this research paper, favor third-person writing.
So, Emily and I worked together while everyone else typed.
I actually brought one blog post and one "real article" from the New York Times.
The blog post link came from the Florida State Inkwell. In the post, the author discusses Florida State and their use of the Seminole name.
Interest Coverage, FSU, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida
Emily read and afterwards decided the use of first-person writing and other informal language categorized the writing as a blog post.
Next came the New York Times article, where the authors discuss the use of rap lyrics in a court trial. The two men present their case well here, in that rap lyrics are rap lyrics and do not necessarily reflect the character of a defendant, and they use a variety of logos, pathos and ethos as well. Yet, they also favor third person throughout the article.
Rap Lyrics on Trial
She read the article and made the distinction of how the author presented his topic and case with a different style of writing than the blog post, which made it more suitable for a major newspaper. I meant to come back to this lesson for the entire class, but never did.
Anyways, skim through the blog post and article quickly to see the differences.
Staying away from first or second person might be impossible for some students. But, at least, tone down on the use of certain words (I, me, you, etc.).
Once in a while authors use first and second person in formal writing anyway, even for major newspapers or other kinds of articles, but I wonder if those authors ever took upper-division English. For this research paper, favor third-person writing.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Final Works Cited Page for Research Paper
For the Research Paper, the Works Cited page will not contain the descriptions found in the Annotated Bibliography.
Let's go back to Igdalia's Annotated Bibliography as an example.
Obviously, the paper contains descriptions underneath each source entry.
Igdalia's final Works Cited page will not contain the descriptions. Rather, the final version will look like the embedded document below.
No descriptions.
Students might wonder why they wrote the Annotated Bibliography.
1) English 102 students will need to know this.
2) Making one encourages students to research first and encourages them to look at the sources thoroughly rather than rushing through.
3) The instructor enjoys giving busy work. (Just kidding.)
Let's go back to Igdalia's Annotated Bibliography as an example.
Obviously, the paper contains descriptions underneath each source entry.
Igdalia's final Works Cited page will not contain the descriptions. Rather, the final version will look like the embedded document below.
No descriptions.
Students might wonder why they wrote the Annotated Bibliography.
1) English 102 students will need to know this.
2) Making one encourages students to research first and encourages them to look at the sources thoroughly rather than rushing through.
3) The instructor enjoys giving busy work. (Just kidding.)
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Three Main Ways to Integrate Quotations
This lesson will hopefully become drilled into every student's head before my time is done at this school.
Quotes from outside sources are never left alone.
The writer leads into the quote with a few sentences. Afterwards, he or she needs evidence to support the main idea of the paragraph. So, an outside quote is used.
But, the quote must be attached to another sentence or clause so that it does not stand alone. Then, an explanation or analysis follows. The process can be repeated with another quote within the paragraph, or the writer can move on.
Three main ways to integrate quotations exist.
1) Colon - Use whenever the part before is a complete sentence.
Scientists agree smiling lengthens the lives of humans: "By smiling each day, people will add five years to their life" (Sapp).
2) Comma - Use when the part before is not a complete sentence.
According to a noted scientist from Stanford, "By smiling each day, people will add five years to their life" (Sapp).
3) No Punctuation - Use in certain situations where the quotation can be added on without a break or pause while reading the sentence.
***In other words, read the sentence out loud. If no pause exists while reading, then do not use punctuation.
The noted scientist from Stanford believes smiling benefits humans because it "will add five years to their life" (Sapp).
Also, pay attention to where the period falls (RIGHT of the author's name).
A lot of time was spent on this lesson, so I'm expecting the quote integration to be done correctly on the research paper.
Quotes from outside sources are never left alone.
The writer leads into the quote with a few sentences. Afterwards, he or she needs evidence to support the main idea of the paragraph. So, an outside quote is used.
But, the quote must be attached to another sentence or clause so that it does not stand alone. Then, an explanation or analysis follows. The process can be repeated with another quote within the paragraph, or the writer can move on.
Three main ways to integrate quotations exist.
1) Colon - Use whenever the part before is a complete sentence.
Scientists agree smiling lengthens the lives of humans: "By smiling each day, people will add five years to their life" (Sapp).
2) Comma - Use when the part before is not a complete sentence.
According to a noted scientist from Stanford, "By smiling each day, people will add five years to their life" (Sapp).
3) No Punctuation - Use in certain situations where the quotation can be added on without a break or pause while reading the sentence.
***In other words, read the sentence out loud. If no pause exists while reading, then do not use punctuation.
The noted scientist from Stanford believes smiling benefits humans because it "will add five years to their life" (Sapp).
Also, pay attention to where the period falls (RIGHT of the author's name).
A lot of time was spent on this lesson, so I'm expecting the quote integration to be done correctly on the research paper.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Body Paragraphs
No hard, set-in-stone formula exists for body paragraphs, but in general for a research paper they contain a topic sentence, evidence, analysis and a transition into the next paragraph. The transition can also leak into the start of the next paragraph.
This handout below found on the Santa Barbara City College website gives out a formula, for students who wish to use one.
This handout below found on the Santa Barbara City College website gives out a formula, for students who wish to use one.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
One More Thesis Statement Example (From My Own Essay)
After talking with some students from the MW 9:10 class, I realized the thesis statement post from before could use further explanation.
How about another example?
Weeks ago, this example of a paper written as a student at UC Santa Barbara was sent to students in order to show how quotes are integrated into other sentences and weaved in and out of paragraphs.
It just happens to be my only digital file of an old paper from school, as something happened when switching laptops and years of work became deleted.
While the entire paper contains some mistakes, the professor gave an A- for this one. Her accomplishments are quite impressive, so I believe her opinion.
Thesis Statement
With Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale” and “The Miller’s Tale” involving a constant reality beneath all the playing that goes on, Milner’s vision of the poet-infant “finding the familiar in the unfamiliar” sheds light on the mixtures of fantasy and reality in the two tales. Her vision shows the necessary relationship where reality needs to have a presence in order for fantasy to exist.
*The main point might sound strange for those without knowledge of The Canterbury Tales (or even for those who read the stories).
The main point/argument?
Milner’s vision of the poet-infant “finding the familiar in the unfamiliar” sheds light on the mixtures of fantasy and reality in the two tales.
*The above statement is not something anyone thinks about as common knowledge when reading The Canterbury Tales. The average reader will not immediately know the statement as true, which means it works as an arguable statement.
How?
Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale” and “The Miller’s Tale” (involve) a constant reality beneath all the playing
*How is this arguable point happening?
Why is this important to study?
Her vision shows the necessary relationship where reality needs to have a presence in order for fantasy to exist.
*Would anyone beyond the professor really read the essay beyond the first page? How interesting is this topic?
If I could go back in time, the vast overuse of "was" in the above essay would be ironed out, as well as some contractions, but overall it still reads well today.
How about another example?
Weeks ago, this example of a paper written as a student at UC Santa Barbara was sent to students in order to show how quotes are integrated into other sentences and weaved in and out of paragraphs.
It just happens to be my only digital file of an old paper from school, as something happened when switching laptops and years of work became deleted.
While the entire paper contains some mistakes, the professor gave an A- for this one. Her accomplishments are quite impressive, so I believe her opinion.
Thesis Statement
With Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale” and “The Miller’s Tale” involving a constant reality beneath all the playing that goes on, Milner’s vision of the poet-infant “finding the familiar in the unfamiliar” sheds light on the mixtures of fantasy and reality in the two tales. Her vision shows the necessary relationship where reality needs to have a presence in order for fantasy to exist.
*The main point might sound strange for those without knowledge of The Canterbury Tales (or even for those who read the stories).
The main point/argument?
Milner’s vision of the poet-infant “finding the familiar in the unfamiliar” sheds light on the mixtures of fantasy and reality in the two tales.
*The above statement is not something anyone thinks about as common knowledge when reading The Canterbury Tales. The average reader will not immediately know the statement as true, which means it works as an arguable statement.
How?
Chaucer’s “The Knight’s Tale” and “The Miller’s Tale” (involve) a constant reality beneath all the playing
*How is this arguable point happening?
Why is this important to study?
Her vision shows the necessary relationship where reality needs to have a presence in order for fantasy to exist.
*Would anyone beyond the professor really read the essay beyond the first page? How interesting is this topic?
If I could go back in time, the vast overuse of "was" in the above essay would be ironed out, as well as some contractions, but overall it still reads well today.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Thesis Statement Formula
As discussed, Jessica from the MW 10:35 class had a solid thesis statement for her film analysis.
- Both the movie and the book portray this story fairly well; however, the film leaves the viewer deprived of details that are vitally important to fully understand the plot that Veronica Roth so dexterously lays out in her book. -
At UC Santa Barbara and CSU Stanislaus, I used the same exact formula for every thesis statement, no matter the topic. In general, we wrote literature-based research papers. The formula consists of the three questions below:
What is going on? (*What is the argument?)
How is this happening?
Why is it important to study?
Most students include the first two parts, but the third one tends to be missing.
Going back to Jessica's thesis statement, it can be taken apart and fit into the three questions.
What is going on? (*What is the argument?)
- the film leaves the viewer deprived
How is this happening?
- details (are missing from the movie)
Why is this important to study?
- (the missing) details are vitally important to fully understand the plot that Veronica Roth so dexterously lays out in her book.
While the paper was not written flawlessly, the thesis statement came off as interesting and had a sense of importance.
Anyways, hopefully that helps.
- Both the movie and the book portray this story fairly well; however, the film leaves the viewer deprived of details that are vitally important to fully understand the plot that Veronica Roth so dexterously lays out in her book. -
At UC Santa Barbara and CSU Stanislaus, I used the same exact formula for every thesis statement, no matter the topic. In general, we wrote literature-based research papers. The formula consists of the three questions below:
What is going on? (*What is the argument?)
How is this happening?
Why is it important to study?
Most students include the first two parts, but the third one tends to be missing.
Going back to Jessica's thesis statement, it can be taken apart and fit into the three questions.
What is going on? (*What is the argument?)
- the film leaves the viewer deprived
How is this happening?
- details (are missing from the movie)
Why is this important to study?
- (the missing) details are vitally important to fully understand the plot that Veronica Roth so dexterously lays out in her book.
While the paper was not written flawlessly, the thesis statement came off as interesting and had a sense of importance.
Anyways, hopefully that helps.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Annotated Bibliography Example
Figuring out how to embed this document took a while.
One student (and friend) named Igdalia from CSU Stanislaus sent this example over of an annotated bibliography for an upper-division Shakespeare class. While the assignment for the research paper will not be based on literature, the format looks the same.
When Igdalia and I knew each other, I attended graduate school at CSU Stanislaus and she took lower-division English courses. Igdalia currently studies as a senior-level English major. If all goes well, she will graduate this semester.
To this day, she still asks for writing advice and sends Facebook messages at 2 a.m. seeking help on her essays.
Unfortunately, she does not always receive the most helpful response!
One student (and friend) named Igdalia from CSU Stanislaus sent this example over of an annotated bibliography for an upper-division Shakespeare class. While the assignment for the research paper will not be based on literature, the format looks the same.
When Igdalia and I knew each other, I attended graduate school at CSU Stanislaus and she took lower-division English courses. Igdalia currently studies as a senior-level English major. If all goes well, she will graduate this semester.
To this day, she still asks for writing advice and sends Facebook messages at 2 a.m. seeking help on her essays.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Picking a Research Paper Topic and Narrowing It Down
Students are allowed to choose their own research paper topic in hopes they remain interested in the essay. After all, for most students taking English 101, 4-7 pages is a lot. By picking a relatable subject, they can hopefully become more involved in the process.
Last semester, the department warned not to let students choose any topic, and especially not abortion. I never listened, and as they warned, many students reverted to abortion (because I'm guessing they wrote essays about abortion in high school).
This time around, students can go with most any topic as long as there is an argument, but not abortion, marijuana or the legal drinking age.
Why should there be an argument? Well, while it has only been two semesters, it seems like students revert back to the "pro and con" essay without any real stance or conclusion. They want to summarize the sides and say there are positives and negatives with nothing to add. Students constantly use this strategy in in-class essays.
For this one, make an argument even if it is not a personal belief. If the reader (which is me) can be convinced, then for this class that is what matters.
What if I wanted to write about cellphones or smartphones?
I need to ask a question.
Is there a correlation between using smartphones in class and receiving poor grades?
I'm going to turn that into an argument.
Students who use smartphones in class are more likely to receive poor grades. Yet, some professors continue to let such activity go on despite the overwhelming evidence of lower scores.
What is going on? Students receive poor grades.
How is this happening? They use smartphones in class.
Why is this important to study? overwhelming evidence of lower scores
Now, some professors like to teach their students to go through the research before coming up with the thesis statement. Students can take that route too.
The research may change the thesis statement.
Maybe almost every legitimate article out there argues the benefits of smartphone usage in class. Then, the thesis statement may change depending on whether those articles or books convinced me of their position.
Alternatively, those articles which go against the initial thesis statement created can be proven wrong, possibly by doing more research and finding a study which contradicts those authors' findings.
By going through the process of the annotated bibliography, students are seeing what the other opinions out there are first, and that will affect the final product of the research paper.
Last semester, the department warned not to let students choose any topic, and especially not abortion. I never listened, and as they warned, many students reverted to abortion (because I'm guessing they wrote essays about abortion in high school).
This time around, students can go with most any topic as long as there is an argument, but not abortion, marijuana or the legal drinking age.
Why should there be an argument? Well, while it has only been two semesters, it seems like students revert back to the "pro and con" essay without any real stance or conclusion. They want to summarize the sides and say there are positives and negatives with nothing to add. Students constantly use this strategy in in-class essays.
For this one, make an argument even if it is not a personal belief. If the reader (which is me) can be convinced, then for this class that is what matters.
What if I wanted to write about cellphones or smartphones?
I need to ask a question.
Is there a correlation between using smartphones in class and receiving poor grades?
I'm going to turn that into an argument.
Students who use smartphones in class are more likely to receive poor grades. Yet, some professors continue to let such activity go on despite the overwhelming evidence of lower scores.
What is going on? Students receive poor grades.
How is this happening? They use smartphones in class.
Why is this important to study? overwhelming evidence of lower scores
Now, some professors like to teach their students to go through the research before coming up with the thesis statement. Students can take that route too.
The research may change the thesis statement.
Maybe almost every legitimate article out there argues the benefits of smartphone usage in class. Then, the thesis statement may change depending on whether those articles or books convinced me of their position.
Alternatively, those articles which go against the initial thesis statement created can be proven wrong, possibly by doing more research and finding a study which contradicts those authors' findings.
By going through the process of the annotated bibliography, students are seeing what the other opinions out there are first, and that will affect the final product of the research paper.
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