Prose & Paragraphs Summer 2017
Session 13 & 14 (2017.07.05 & 07.06)
Wednesday and Thursday we powered our way through Chapter 5, which focused on being courteous to others and the importance of courtesy in our lives.
We started off with an essay by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, an American made famous by his writing on The Power of Positive Thinking. After writing and talking about our ideas on cross-cultural courtesy, we also moved on to another article about telling white lies and being kind rather than honest about babies who aren't amazingly beautiful at first sight. Which is more important, being courteous or being honest? Is it better to be kind or tell the truth? Do these two goals often conflict?
We also briefly looked at summarizing, outlining, and grammar exercises on simple, compound, and complex sentences.
Friday the class will have one-on-one conferences with the instructor. Please bring any writing you'd like to improve for Monday, as well as your thoughts and questions about what you need help with. A general "look this over and tell me what's wrong with it" is usually not the best way to approach a feedback session. Instead, look over your writing and see where you notice challenges or "trouble spots" that created difficulty for you as a writer. Often, these will be the same areas that will make things unclear for your readers.
Remember, your goal as a writer is not to impress people with your amazing vocabulary. Instead, try to be invisible and with writing that writing carries a message so clearly that your words are almost unnoticed by the reader. Clarity and simplicity win every time.
By now, you know what you need to do: Bring two final drafts of your essays for a score Monday, and expect to spend an hour writing an essay in class. While it is not a requirement, if you can blend in interview data (quotations) in your papers, it might make them more powerful pieces of writing.
After Monday, take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the rest of your summer.
Have fun!
JBH.
Session 12 (2017.07.04)
In Tuesday's class, we refined our schedule for wrapping things up as follows:
*Before midnight Tuesday: Chapter 4 initial draft/email post to blog.
*Before midnight Wednesday: Feedback for two classmates on Chapter 4 initial draft.
*Before midnight Thursday: Chapter 5 initial draft/email post to blog.
*Before midnight Friday: Feedback for two classmates on Chapter 4 initial draft.
*We will again have one-on-one conferences Friday for anything I can help with (20 minutes each). It is a good idea to bring as much as you can to talk about, especially your chapter 4 and 5 drafts.
*Final drafts of your two best papers (you choose) should be handed in Monday when you come for the exam. Those papers, plus the exam, will be your quality points for this session. Grade is based on 50 percent quality points, 40 percent homework performance (blog), and 10 percent attendance/participation.
*Class ends Monday with a sit-down final exam, writing on a question or prompt. There is not much you can do to study for this test; just write as well as you can.
We will move on to Chapter 5 Wednesday and Thursday, covering as much as we can in the remaining sessions. Please ask about anything you don't understand, especially regarding the writing assignments.
See you in class,
JBH
Session 11 (2017.07.00)
Monday we talked about a few students' blog posts from Chapter 3 writing. Moved into Chapter 4 Readings on Life and Work. For Tuesday, please complete items A, B, and C on page 94. Bring a hard copy of item C with you to class to share with classmates for discussion. It is also a good idea to look ahead and start thinking about the initial draft assignment from Chapter 4 on pages 109 and 110, which will be due soon.
A tentative schedule for the remainder of the class is as follows:
*Monday/Tuesday: Chapter 4 and writing initial draft/email post to blog/get feedback ASAP. Wednesday/Thursday Midnight Friday midnight deadline for Chapter 5 initial draft/email post to blog/get feedback. Feedback ASAP Saturday (help your classmates).
*We will again have one-on-one conferences Friday for anything I can help with (20 minutes each).
*Final drafts of two best papers to be handed in Monday when you come for exam. Those papers, plus the exam, will be your quality points for this session. Grade is based on 50 percent quality points, 40 percent homework performance (blog), and 10 percent attendance/participation.
*Class ends Monday with a sit-down final exam, writing on a question or prompt. There is not much you can do to study for this test; just write as well as you can.
See you in class,
JBH
Session 10 (2017.06.30)
We finished off our second week by quickly looking over a paraphrasing exercise on page 68. Students were urged to carefully review pages 69 through 79 themselves, dealing with the differences between paragraph and essay writing, writing objectively for academic purposes in contrast with more subjective, personal writing, and grammar exercises on subject-verb agreement. Please ask each other or the instructor if you have any questions.
We also went over a PowerPoint presentation titled "EQuIP - Pinning It Down," about adding Examples, Quotations, Illustrations, and Particulars (specific details) to our writing to make it much more powerful and memorable. Please go back and use these techniques in your writing. They really work and make it more fun and interesting to write, as well as to read.
Over the weekend, please complete the formal writing assignment. Using the topic ideas in A on page 80, come up with a plan and write an initial draft by following the instructions on pages 81 and 82. Please post that initial draft to the class blog by email before 12 midnight Saturday night. Then, using the instructions on page 83 and the checklist on page 84, please give thorough and helpful feedback to two classmates before we meet as a class on Monday.
See you in class!
JBH
Session 7 & 8 (2017.06.27 & 06.28)
Tuesday in class we continued looking at writing and grammar exercises in Chapter 2, and almost finished. Students were asked to pre-read and pre-answer questions in Chapter 3, especially focusing on the Personal Written Response on page 63. They were also advised that it might be a good idea to read ahead and look at the Chapter 3 essay assignment.
Wednesday, we dealt with a few leftover exercises and questions in chapter 2 and moved into Chapter 3. Students brought a hard copy of Part B (shared writing) to class so they could share it with classmates and get feedback.
Remember: We will be meeting one-on-one Thursday and there will be no regular class session, so the more writing you have to talk about, the better. And don't expect me to do all the work. Please have ideas about help I can give you. I am not going to rewrite your papers for you, but I can give you my opinions and suggestions. The writing is up to you.
Have fun!
JBH
Session 6 (2017.06.26)
We continued talking about the second reading in Chapter 2 on Monday before looking at writing skills in Part 4. We talked about summarizing passages and looked at different patterns of paragraph/essay organization.
Tonight's writing homework is not quite as intense, so please do a great job. On page 40, please time yourself for a full 20-minute writing session on one of the three questions in item D. Also, please write at least 50 words in response to question E. Post both these items to the blog by email using the subject label "Page 40" as soon as you can today.
Then, respond thoroughly to at least two classmates using the Follow-up response suggestions to item D and your own ideas for the discussion topic (item E). This should all be done before we meet on Tuesday.
Like always, please try to comment on classmates who don't already have two comments. That way, hopefully everyone will receive responses from two people.
See you in class!
JBH
Session 5 (2017.06.23)
Friday we got going on Chapter 2, looking at both the readings and discussing ideas from them. We also shared our initial writing on those ideas. When we meet again Monday, we will continue in Chapter 2, looking at the Writing Skills exercises.
As you enjoy your weekend, don't forget about our intensive writing class. You should submit your initial draft of the Chapter 1 writing assignment from page 25 by email to the class blog before midnight Saturday. The Chapter 2 initial draft (on pages 52 and 53) should be submitted by email to the blog before midnight Sunday.
For both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 drafts, give feedback to two classmates using the assessment checklists at the end of each chapter. Please give thorough feedback that both encourages and helps your classmates improve their writing. The feedback should be posted as comments on the blog before we meet in the classroom Monday so we can look at a few samples in class.
See you Monday!
JBH
Session 4 (2017.06.22)
In Session 4, we finished off the language exercises (fragments) in chapter 1 and moved on to chapter 2, where we will be talking about the first reading on pages 32-35 next time. For homework, please do the first reading in Chapter 2 and pre-answer the questions on page 35, and go through steps A, B, and C on page 36. Also, write up your 20-minute response from Step B and bring it to class tomorrow to discuss in groups. You can also be thinking about writing your Chapter 1 essay assignment. You should post your first draft of that Chapter 1essay (page 25, letter D) this weekend.
After you have written your response for page 36, please continue to read, prepare for discussions, and answer exercise questions in the rest of Chapter 2. We will move on to write the essay assignment on pages 52 and 53, so your thinking and preparation should be aiming toward that goal as you read and write this weekend and into next week.
See you in class!
JBH
Session 3 (2017.06.21)
In our third class session we discussed the exercises in Chapter 1 and talked about our writing ideas. We went through the text all the way up to writing our formal writing assignment on pages 24 and 25.
For Thursday's class (06.22), we posted our essay beginnings (ideas from pages 24 and 25 in the text) and gave each other feedback on the class blog. To respond to a classmate's writing, please follow the Peer Feedback guidelines on page 11. Please do not just write, "It was good." or "I liked it." Add some positive comments about specific things AND suggestions for what could be improved. Try to focus on meaning more than grammar. We will be sharing some student writing in class Thursday.
Session 2 (2017.06.20)
We started off class with a bang this first real class session by writing a timed essay. After a short break to rest our hands, we then got deep into Chapter 1's readings on birth order. We read, wrote, and discussed our way to page 10 in the text, and stopped with a journal-writing demo following the instructions in Item A on page 10. For next week's class, please complete Item B (Shared Writing) and bring a typed copy to class with you so you can share it with classmates for peer feedback.
Also, please pre-read and answer all questions in the text through the rest of the chapter for our next class session. It's up to you how much you write to prepare for discussion questions, but you should be following the instructions. For example, on page 16, Item C asks you to mark any places inthe text that are still unclear to you. If you don't have marks in your text or on a piece of paper, you did not follow instructions and will lose homework credit. Item D instructs you to write for about 20 minutes on one or more of the questions that follow. You can't read what you wrote and get feedback if you didn't write anyting. Please follow instructions like these that ask you to write in your book or write your thoughts about a reading for comment. You are responsible for staying ahead of the class and responding to all questions/topics in your book or on a piece of paper.
We also went over the steps for posting entries to the blog by email and making comments on the class blog in class. The instructions we followed are linked here. Please post a main idea for your essay from Part 5, Item B-2 and your thoughts about it to the blog. Please give as many specific details as you can. The deadline for posting your essay main ideas is 12 midnight Wednesday night, June 21st.
Then, follow the instructions on page 24, Item C to give feedback to two classmates about their writing ideas. Write these responses before we meet in class Thursday. You may also want to make it a conversation by responding to classmates feedback. Please be honest and kind with your feedback, and don't take things too seriously if you are receiving feedback that suggests other ideas or improvements.
Step by Step:
1. Complete Item B on page 10, print and bring to class.
2. Pre-read and answer all questions in Chapter 1 for our next class. Be completely prepared for all discussion questions and write answers to all questions that ask you to write something BEFORE class time.
3. Post the main idea for your chapter 1 essay as outlined on page 24, Item B-2 before midnight Wednesday.
4. Respond to two of your classmates' topic idea with helpful, thoughtful feedback before class time Thursday.
The class blog is linked below.
See you in class!
JBH
Prose & Paragraphs Blog 2017 Summer
Session 1 (2017.06.19)
Please buy the book ASAP. ---------------------------------------------------->
It is available at the HUFS bookstore.
Then, please pre-read and pre-answer questions in Chapter 1 through page 23 before our next class (tomorrow) and be ready to discuss all the topics in class.
We will move on to the writing assignment in chapter 1 after our second class session, posting it online in a class blog and giving each other feedback on our writing. We will go over instructions for posting our writing and feedback to the blog when we meet next time.
See you in class!
JBH
Please buy the book ASAP. ---------------------------------------------------->
It is available at the HUFS bookstore.
Then, please pre-read and pre-answer questions in Chapter 1 through page 23 before our next class (tomorrow) and be ready to discuss all the topics in class.
We will move on to the writing assignment in chapter 1 after our second class session, posting it online in a class blog and giving each other feedback on our writing. We will go over instructions for posting our writing and feedback to the blog when we meet next time.
See you in class!
JBH
