ISS 2016 Academic Reading & Writing
2016.08.01
We started off our third week with a close look at "Tito's Goodbye." After reading the story aloud in class, we discussed in small groups the story's themes of honesty, family relationships, selfishness and mortality.
We then spent a few minutes talking about our next essay instructions between pages 169 and179 in the course reader. There is lots of good info and some good models that you can use for planning your own essay about something you have read for this class, which is due this week.
For tomorrow, please post your proposal about what essay and topic you plan to write about. It can be any of the readings we have already read ("The Ingrate," "In the Land of the Free, "Tito's Goodbye") or the pieces we will be looking at this week (excerpts from Native Speaker, excerpts from This Burns My Heart, or "At the Edge of the World").
Also, please pre-read the first excerpt from Native Speaker before you come to class Tuesday.
Thanks!
JBH
2016.07.27
Thursday we started a bit late, because the instructor was tied up at a faculty luncheon. When we did get going, we finished reading "In the Land of the Free" in class, wrote a journal entry/summary, and talked about the reading together.
For homework tonight, please post your journal entry and/or summary from page 155 to the class blog by email. Please respond to a classmate's post on this topic too.
Over the weekend, I’d like you to do some more reading and thinking about what you’d like to write about next. After you think about it, please write a brief (100-250 word) proposal about what you will write to complete the assignment on pages 169 through 179. This paper will be due Wednesday before class meets.
You may want to write about one of the two pieces we have already talked about in this chapter; Reading 4, “Tito’s Good-bye,” which we will look at Monday; or one of the Korean short stories or chapters in the last part of the course pack (Chang-rae Lee, Samuel Park, or Krys Lee). We will be looking at some pieces from those writers next week.,
Please help me choose which ones by taking a quick look at them this weekend before we meet again.
We will keep looking at reading and writing with a more Korean focus next week, and work toward a final draft of one of your two writings by the time we finish the class.
Have fun!
JBH
2016.07.27
Our Wednesday session started off with a bang, as we looked at the first chapter from Trimble's Writing With Style and talked about what made writing good.
After an hour or so of talking about what made good writing, the difference between novice and veteran writers, we came up with a few questions and answers:
20160727 ISS class
Thinking Well
1. What do you think is good writing? Having a main idea; clear; keep to the main point(s); help the reader see from the point of view of the writer; (climax) something to interest the reader and keep the reader interested enough to keep reading; grammar, vocabulary, (language); “deeper” philosophical meaning; help the reader see, feel, or think something they never saw, felt, or thought before; something unexpected (surprising) at the end.
2. What is “writer’s sense?” the knowledge that an experienced (expert) writer has. To know how to write a story that will interest the reader, use acceptable phrases, (more from question 1)
3. What are the main differences between The Novice and The Veteran? Novices writes for themselves, Veterans write for their audience. Writing is the art of creating desired effects.
4. How do you win readers? By courteously serving them … “Hook” satisfying their needs. Be clear, speak to the point, ,c
5. What is unconscious writing?
6. How can you know when you are actually communicating with the reader(s)?
7. Mumbo jumbo –avoid it -- use shorter words and shorter sentences.
It was at this point, about an hour into the class, that the instructor decided that the class would be better served by reading another few stories from the class reader instead of the Trimble selections and getting ready to write an essay based on the instructions on pages 169-179 due on the blog (and on paper in class) by Wednesday of next week (Aug.3).
We moved on to read the first part of "In the Land of the Free" on page 148. We will continue talking about this reading Thursday, as well as about next week's writing assignment.
I am not assigning any journal writing for homework this evening. Please use this break to catch up on any writing you missed earlier in the class or get ahead by looking over Reading 4 on page 158.
Thanks,
JBH
2016.07.26
Tuesday we started off by asking that students who are not yet posting on the class blog get some things up there. It is an important part of your grade and part of the homework requirements for the class.
After that, we started the day off with a seven-minute freewriting session to build a journal entry on the reading and what we thought about it from the start yesterday. We then moved on to our challenging reading about a runaway slave, "The Ingrate." American English of more than 100 years ago, plus many different cultural connections, made for some unusual vocabulary and ideas to talk about.
We finished off the session by going over the discussion questions on page 148 in groups, and then all together.
Todays' homework is to email a blog entry addressing one or both of the "Write After You Read" topics at the top of page 148. Please write a thorough post. Also, if you are behind on earlier blog posts, please catch up ASAP (as soon as possible). For Wednesday, I will ask you to with a partner and prepare a class session going over the following chapters of Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing.
Groups for Trimble reading Chapter
After we have spent some time looking at a few chapters from the Trimble book, we will move on to the next reading on page 148, "In the Land of the Free."
See you in class!
JBH
P.S. Don't forget the field trip to Seoul Selection bookstore after class Thursday (see file below for info).
Tuesday we started off by asking that students who are not yet posting on the class blog get some things up there. It is an important part of your grade and part of the homework requirements for the class.
After that, we started the day off with a seven-minute freewriting session to build a journal entry on the reading and what we thought about it from the start yesterday. We then moved on to our challenging reading about a runaway slave, "The Ingrate." American English of more than 100 years ago, plus many different cultural connections, made for some unusual vocabulary and ideas to talk about.
We finished off the session by going over the discussion questions on page 148 in groups, and then all together.
Todays' homework is to email a blog entry addressing one or both of the "Write After You Read" topics at the top of page 148. Please write a thorough post. Also, if you are behind on earlier blog posts, please catch up ASAP (as soon as possible). For Wednesday, I will ask you to with a partner and prepare a class session going over the following chapters of Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing.
Groups for Trimble reading Chapter
- Rachel & Phoebe 1
- Cathy & Daekyu & Nina 2
- Im & Nariya 3
- Yana & Nook and Bittna 4
- Marcelo & Margarita & Peanut 5 & 6
After we have spent some time looking at a few chapters from the Trimble book, we will move on to the next reading on page 148, "In the Land of the Free."
See you in class!
JBH
P.S. Don't forget the field trip to Seoul Selection bookstore after class Thursday (see file below for info).
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2016.07.25
Our Monday session started off with us getting a look at each others' writing and giving some feedback. We looked at our rough drafts of our first assignments, and talked about classmates' writing, using feedback questions adapted from the Guidlelines writing text.
We then moved on to Chapter 5 in the text,"Analyzing Fiction." We started reading the first short story in the chapter, "The Ingrate." For Tuesday, please continue reading the story, looking for interesting vocabulary or other features. Please look closely for irony or sarcasm in the author's voice toward the main character, Mr. Leckler. Also, notice where slave owner Mr.Leckler is obviously lying to himself in the story told by the son of a former slave.
Along with the reading, please type your comments we shared in class to the blog, and use the feedback questions above to give your thoughts about another classmate's writing too. You should give feedback to two classmates. Please don't comment on someone's post if they already have two comments. It'll be nice to have two comments on every piece of writing.
See you in class!
JBH
2016.07.21
In class, we continued with reading 2, "My English," looked in more detail at our writing assignment for next week on pages 53 through 64, and finished with Reading 4, about a Korean who learned to write and publish in English.
Please continue looking at the readings and the writing instructions and do some brainstorming this weekend. I would like you to post your essay, following the assignment on page 52 to the blog. Please complete this writing before coming to class Monday. Also, please bring a printed copy of your essay to class to share for feedback by your classmates and the instructor.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks,
JBH
.
2016.07.20
More notes from our class session:
“The School Days of an Indian Girl”
What did she gain from her experience?
…Rebellious spirit
…Began to show her anger
…Let it out and show, but adapted to environment
Learned English
Became a writer
For homework tonight, please write a journal entry from question 1 of "Write After You Read" from one of the readings we have already done. Post your journal entry to the blog by email.
Then, please comment on a classmate's blog entry. It's better to write about their ideas than to try to improve their language. Make it a kind of "conversation in writing."
Also, please keep reading ahead, especially reading 2 on page 30 and reading 4 on page 42. Be ready to talk about the readings in class.
We will also start moving into the writing assignment instructions on pages 52 through 64 to start writing our first "real" assignment due on Monday, July 25th.
See you in class!
JBH
More notes from our class session:
“The School Days of an Indian Girl”
What did she gain from her experience?
…Rebellious spirit
…Began to show her anger
…Let it out and show, but adapted to environment
Learned English
Became a writer
For homework tonight, please write a journal entry from question 1 of "Write After You Read" from one of the readings we have already done. Post your journal entry to the blog by email.
Then, please comment on a classmate's blog entry. It's better to write about their ideas than to try to improve their language. Make it a kind of "conversation in writing."
Also, please keep reading ahead, especially reading 2 on page 30 and reading 4 on page 42. Be ready to talk about the readings in class.
We will also start moving into the writing assignment instructions on pages 52 through 64 to start writing our first "real" assignment due on Monday, July 25th.
See you in class!
JBH
2016.07.19
We started out by reviewing Monday's discussion about the reading on page 18, "Barriers."
Some quotes from text in class:
Niella wrote about how learning English was like learning to play tennis.
Insights/images:
"People need to practice until their writing is fluent, and not get frustrated."
"Regardless of whether people know about your level, there will always be difficulties. Keep climbing!"
Five senses and feelings in Reading 1:
--image of neighbor complaining about noise – didn't understand, frustration.
“forget it” leave the court, frustrated and angry.
“As in any sport, if you want to enjoy it, you have to practice until you master it."
Reading 2 (pages 16-19)
“Waiting in Line”
Student summaries:
“Reading a book is an important way to change a person.”
“There is always some happiness hidden somewhere that you don’t expect.”
“Literature can change your life and life changing opportunity can come to you when you least expect it.”
Great quote from essay:
“I found myself, and my niche, in the word.”
(Student interpretation: “He found out who he is.”)
Being different.
“Unconquerable soul”
See hear and feel?
“Eats and sweet drinks” … “freshest smi of
Bookcase specific dimensions --You can "see" it.
Homework for 7-20
Read Chapter 2, readings 1-3 (pages 23-41) Be prepared to discuss in class Wednesday.
Write a journal entry from one of the readings we talked about today. Post your entry to the class blog by email, and comment on a classmate's post.
See you in class!
JBH
2016.07.18
Academic Reading and Writing
Class Overview
Reading
- Guidelines, 1, 2, and 5
- Trimble (selected tips)
- Korean fiction
Writing
- Journaling,
- Blog posts
- Two paper drafts (at least)
- Final something
E-mailing posts to a class blog.
2016 ISS Writing Blog
2016.07.15
Hi Everybody!
It’s going to a great summer for all of us.
Meeting most of the class Thursday was a treat, with students from Brazil, China, France, Korea, Russia, Spain, Thailand, and was there anyplace else? I don’t recall. We appear to have a class with a wide range of ability levels and different needs, which is something I am used to and enjoy. I hope we can all help each other learn something useful from our few weeks together in Seoul and have fun too.
We will be writing. So please, make up your mind to write every day about what you’re having fun doing. Or if you prefer, you can have fun every day by writing. Either way, the fun and the writing can go together. As long as we have to be here and get some writing done, we may as well enjoy it, right?
I hope your first weekend field trip goes well. I am working during the weekends in Seoul this summer, so I won’t be joining the group, but my family and I have joined ISS field trips in the past and they are a lot of fun. But don't forget to look over your homework this weekend too.
For Monday, I would like you to do two things. First, please read as much as you can of Chapter 1 in the course pack, selections from Guidelines: A Cross-Cultural Reading?Writing Text. Please read through page 19 in the course pack, and be ready to discuss the “Strategies for Reading Critically” in the first several pages as well as the discussion questions from the readings on pages 13-19.
Also, please write a 200-300 word blog post on your first impressions of Korea, Seoul, the food, ISS, your classmates, or anything else that strikes you as interesting in the time since you first arrived at Incheon airport. Please include a title or subject line for your writing. Bring a copy of this writing to class with you on Monday. You will be your writing with classmates as well as the instructor, and we will be posting blog entries, as well as other writing drafts, regularly on a class blog.
Have a great weekend!
See you in class Monday,
JBH
NOTE: There are some areas of the course pack where the printed text is hard to read, I have retyped those areas in a Word document linked here.
2016.07.15
Hi Everybody!
It’s going to a great summer for all of us.
Meeting most of the class Thursday was a treat, with students from Brazil, China, France, Korea, Russia, Spain, Thailand, and was there anyplace else? I don’t recall. We appear to have a class with a wide range of ability levels and different needs, which is something I am used to and enjoy. I hope we can all help each other learn something useful from our few weeks together in Seoul and have fun too.
We will be writing. So please, make up your mind to write every day about what you’re having fun doing. Or if you prefer, you can have fun every day by writing. Either way, the fun and the writing can go together. As long as we have to be here and get some writing done, we may as well enjoy it, right?
I hope your first weekend field trip goes well. I am working during the weekends in Seoul this summer, so I won’t be joining the group, but my family and I have joined ISS field trips in the past and they are a lot of fun. But don't forget to look over your homework this weekend too.
For Monday, I would like you to do two things. First, please read as much as you can of Chapter 1 in the course pack, selections from Guidelines: A Cross-Cultural Reading?Writing Text. Please read through page 19 in the course pack, and be ready to discuss the “Strategies for Reading Critically” in the first several pages as well as the discussion questions from the readings on pages 13-19.
Also, please write a 200-300 word blog post on your first impressions of Korea, Seoul, the food, ISS, your classmates, or anything else that strikes you as interesting in the time since you first arrived at Incheon airport. Please include a title or subject line for your writing. Bring a copy of this writing to class with you on Monday. You will be your writing with classmates as well as the instructor, and we will be posting blog entries, as well as other writing drafts, regularly on a class blog.
Have a great weekend!
See you in class Monday,
JBH
NOTE: There are some areas of the course pack where the printed text is hard to read, I have retyped those areas in a Word document linked here.
