Sorry for birng late :(

Letters of recommendation

Having recently been asked to write several letters of recommendation, I thought that this blog posting would be useful for everyone.  While I am always happy to write letters for my students, there are several items that make the process easier for everyone and can get your letters written in the most effective way.  Please take a look at this blog and keep it in mind when asking faculty to write letters for you.

AP3 E FINAL PRESENTATIONS

You have done an amazing job, I am proud of you all! I wish you all the best and keep in touch.

Post your portfolio links here- April 23 (before class)

Feel free to get creative with your portfolios, post pictures that you took, etc.
If you have any questions about your portfolio and technology, let me know BEFORE the deadline.

Have a Nice Weekend!!!!!- Punctuation of Adjective Clauses

WRITE A SUMMARY PARAGRAPH and ONE RESPONSE PARAGRAPH- Monday before class

Teens and Drugs

Today, when people talk about teenagers taking drugs, they often talk about what the drugs do.

However, we should also take a look at why teenagers start taking drugs in the first place; there are two  main reasons.

First of all, it is all too easy for many young people to get their hands on drugs. Drugs are

available almost anywhere: at a school yard, in line for a movie, or at a football game. To find drugs,

teens do not have to risk going to the seedy parts of town or deal with shady characters on street

corners. Often times, they are offered free drugs by their friends. Also, because many teens have

parents who work, they have too much free time. They tell their parents that they are at the library in

the afternoon, when they are really at their friend’s house or at the park. Thus, while their parents are

busy and hard at work, their children are becoming addicted as well.

 

Most importantly, teenagers have enormous pressure to conform—to behave the same way

their peers behave. Teenagers often have close friends or best buddies with whom they share

everything, including drugs. They also tend to go to a lot of parties and other social events where it is

most important to be one of the crowd, to be “cool.” Even the most mature teen may be tempted to do

drugs at a party rather than risk being called names and treated as an outsider. For all these reasons,

getting involved with drugs is a growing problem for teenagers.

 

AFTER reading, think about the following questions (we will discuss them in class on Monday):

1. What is the topic sentence of the composition? What is the main idea?

2. How many supporting ideas are there? What are they?

 

3. How are the supporting ideas introduced? What transitions connect them?

4. What is the concluding statement?

WRITE A SUMMARY PARAGRAPH (7-10 sentences) AND A RESPONSE PARAGRAPH (7-10 sentences) and post it on the blog.

Summary Paragraph: answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how. You can also check your notes and handout on this topic.

Response Paragraph: your perspective on the issue. There are four parts to a critical response paragraph: 1) an argumentative topic sentence, 2) evidence in the form of quotations or paraphrases for the argument you are making, 3) interpretation of your evidence in relation to the argument, and 4) a strong concluding statement. You can find more information here.

HOW TO WRITE A RESPONSE PARAGRAPH

 

You need to come up with an informative introduction giving the name of the “Short Writing” or Book and author as well as and telling us what the rest of the paragraph will prove.  TRANSITION, Now introduce the quote, leading into the “first piece of evidence which is your quote and remember to wrap it into the sentence and give the page number”(p.22).  Now you must analyze the quote, meaning reveal something about character motivation, relation to theme, why it is ironic, etc, remembering this is you thinking and should not be completely evident in the text. TRANSITION, Now introduce the 2nd quote, leading into the “second piece of evidence which is your 2^nd quote and remember to wrap it into the sentence and give the page number”(p.24).  Now you must analyze the quote, meaning reveal something about character motivation, relation to theme, why it is ironic, etc, remembering this is you thinking and should not be completely evident in the text. TRANSITION, Now introduce the 3rd quote, leading into the “third piece of evidence which is your 3^rd quote and remember to wrap it into the sentence and give the page number”(p.28).  Now you must analyze the quote, meaning reveal something about character motivation, relation to theme, why it is ironic, etc, remembering this is you thinking and should not be completely evident in the text. TRANSITION, You need to come up with a concluding statement which summarizes everything you just talked about, nothing fancy, but just add some clarity and maybe a bit of food for thought.

FURTHER HELP

The above can be summarized using ACRONYMS.  Several are used, choose one below and stick with it

PEE – Point, Example, Explain

ACE – Assertion, Cite, Explain

TIQA – Transition, Introduce quote, Quote, Analysis

It is possible to not always use the quote but you must be very clear exactly what point you are talking about.  This should not replace good quoting practice, but occasionallyyou may find it easier to give the example in your own words.

 

More Writing Tips and Extra Point Assignment- Monday

Here is a video on writing tips you might find useful.

Extra point assignment DUE MONDAY before class.  You have the choice to turn in ONE well-written essay using the topics listed on your handout. The essay should be five paragraphs long (please look at the grading scale I sent you after I graded your assignments).

ALI G ON DANGEROUS DRUGS

Questions:

How much would the drug cost in the street?
16 or 17 pounds
60 or 70 pounds
1670 pounds

Which of these effects is NOT mentioned?
you can go paranoid
your heart beats faster
you feel in good spirits

The expert says that...
having drugs for personal use is illegal
having up to half a kilo is legal
is legal if its for religious reasons

Which drugs is Class A?
Marijuana and hash
Extasy and LSD
Cocaine and Heroine

A worrying effect of Extasy is that...
it helps you concentrate at home
it makes you enjoy house music
it alters your perception

How did Ali's friend, "Dangerous Dave", feel after having 22 E's in one night?
He had sleeping disorders
He had a driving accident
He had a big headache and felt dizzy

What happened when a friend of Ali's gave his dog an E?
The dog died soon
The dog tried to rape a cat
The dog went mad and bit him

What is the lesson people can learn from this?
You can hurt yourself if you are under the effects of substances
You run the risk of having a heart attack
Substances affect the way your body work


Listen to this short files and do the quiz.

Take the internet addiction survey.   How did you do on the survey? Do you agree with the results? Why?

More sources on addiction

One more video

Final Exam and other important dates

-The final exam is on April 18th.
-The portfolio is due on April 23rd.  Here are some example portfolios done by two of my former students who learned weebly.com on their own.
Georges
Caro
Please come to class with QUESTIONS and laptop/iPad and show me that you created a log in on weebly and you posted some of your work.

Resource for vocabulary learning and an alternative tool for your presentations

I found this website for vocabulary learning. It seems that they have vocab for SAT, GMAT and other tests. It also has mobile apps and it is FREE! Enjoy!

Easelly is a website that allows you to create visual presentations and share it with your peers!

History of Easter

Quiz- The Ancient World- Egypt- April 1

Review:
- all the readings in chapter 4
- idioms
- identifying causes and effects
- identifying feature stories
- vocabulary: 
continuity 

frozen

pharaoh 

pose

recurs

decreed

stability

profile

recurs

stability

falcon

 torso

Structure:

- Questions pertaining to the class readings
- Fill in the blank activity

editing/final thoughts on your essays

In addition, selling artifacts could make more people have chance to know the artifacts in detail, most of time, we watch the artifacts in museum, we just can see the artifacts, but we couldn’t touch it, glass separate the distance with artifacts, we haven’t had chance to know more about artifacts.

Some rich people they like Egyptian art and ancient artifacts. They bought them and save them.

Art plays an important part in our lives. More and more people try to learn about art. That's the reason why I think the work of art, especially Egyptian and ancient artifacts, should be placed in the museums. Every work of art is very valuable. It should be kept in the best environment. By this way, people can approach easier, and this's also the best way to teach the children about history.

So that studying history in school become easier for students.

For safety reasons art should be kept in museums. It can also have a chance of getting damaged.

Final Thoughts

- provide examples that strengthen your argument

- don't forget about a good conclusion

- every sentence has a subject and a verb

- S-V agreement

- tenses

How to leveage social media to get accepted to college)- Listening and Writing Activity- Due Tuesday March 26 before class

Since most of you prepare to go to college, I found this video on "How to Leverage Social Media to get Accepted to College" useful.

Please answer the following questions:
1. What point is being made about your privacy settings in social media?
2. What is one college accepting along with students' applications?
3. What percentage of college admissions counselors "friend" applicants online?
4. Why is having custom settings so useful in social media?
5. Why do you think you were shown this video?
6. What is the main point you take away from this video?

Some Notes on Peer Feedback

Please remember to use specific examples for the feedback. You can check on how your peers provide you feedback or how I or another instructor gives you feedback. Think about how would YOU like to receive feedback? You should point out at least 3 areas for improvement per essay with examples. You can also use the rubrics as a base (the rubric I send you for my feedback, you can see it has areas like content, grammar, vocabulary). Remember, the purpose is to help the writer improve. If you only mention praises or general areas, you are not providing thorough feedback. If you use color scheme, mention your name. Otherwise, I won't know who provides the feedback. Use the feedback I give on your essay as example. Some of your peers also provide detailed feedback. Thus, if you provide one feedback for an essay, that is not enoough. If you just provide feedback for ONE essay only, that is also not enough. Overall, most of you are doing a very good job on the feedback. Have a great weekend, relax, and enjoy the great weather. Here are some guidelines from an earlier post. And another one.
Also, I asked you to meet the deadlines. The deadlines are always posted on the blog. If you can't remember the deadlines, put them on your calendar and send yourselves reminders.  Let me know if you have questions Monday.

Theater Event at the St. Petersburg College

- Theater Production “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)”-  In this exuberant comedy, Constance Ledbelly, a drab and dusty academic, deciphers a cryptic manuscript she believes to be the original source for the tragedies Othello and Romeo and Juliet, and is transported into the plays themselves. She visits Juliet and Desdemona, has a hand in saving them, and finds out what these women are about. In true Shakespearean spirit, Constance plunders the plays and creates something new, all the while engaging in a personal voyage of self-discovery.

- $10 general admission, free for SPC students and staff with ID Thursday, March 21 at 7:30 -9:30 Friday, March 22 at 7:30-9:30 Saturday, March 23 at 3pm – 5pm Sunday, March 24 at 3pm to 5pm (See the attached flyer)

Summary- Due this Thursday

Please remember that ALL assignments are due BEFORE the class starts. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email or see me after class.

Have Fun During Spring Break!

SECOND DRAFT-Persuasive Essay- Egyptian Art should be in museums or it should be auctioned off- SECOND DRAFT- Due March 19th, Peer Feedback Due March 21st, Final Version March 25th

SECOND DRAFT- March 19th
I would like you to revisit the topic for your midterm essay and think about how can you make your persuasive essay better? Check out the handouts on persuasive essay and the questions on your midterm essay. The topic is Do you think Egyptian art and ancient artifacts should be placed in museums or is it ok to auction them off for personal use? Why? Post your second draft as a reply to this blog.

Since you already worked on this assignment before, this version will be the second draft. Post the second draft of your essay by March 19th on the blog (before class starts) AND share your essay with your peer group to get feedback. Please use Google Docs for feedback.


Peer Feedback- March 21st

Your peers should give you feedback by Thursday, March 21st.  Share the document with me so that I can review your peer feedback and give you feedback too.

Click on the insert comment tool that looks like the icon in the middle of this image. Please use the icon INSERT COMMENT from the MIDDLE OF THE TOP BANNER. If you use this function, your name will appear along with the feedback. If you use color code, mention that you are using BLUE and you are (YOUR NAME).

Final essay- March 25th
You will post the third draft (Final) on the blog on March 25th.

Here is the rubric I will use for your persuasive essay:

Academic Preparation 3

Persuasive Essay Rubric

Criteria	Possible Points	Points Earned	Comments
Essay Structure ·         clear thesis ·         effective  hook/background information ·         clear topic sentences ·         effective conclusion (restates thesis and summarizes)	15
Organization ·         effective use of transitions ·         ideas are organized ·         ideas are clear	10
Strength of Content/Persuasion ·         clear, strong ideas ·         specific examples to support ·         facts (research) that is relevant ·         sufficient/relevant support	25
Language ·         Grammar and vocabulary appropriate for Level 3 ·         Research is properly cited (footnotes) ·         Variety of sentence structure present	10
Feedback (Did you successfully apply peer/teacher feedback?)	7
Format Spelling Capitalization Punctuation	8
Grade:                          /75                                                 Essay Overall is:       High Level          At Level        Low Level

Final essay-Egyptian Art should be in museums or it should be- March 25th

Post your final essay here.

Questions relating to the videos on Egypt- Due March 18th

Since you are VERY interested in the videos posted on the blog, I thought that we can discuss them in class when you come back from the Spring break. The videos (Nefertiti and the Pyramids) are from an earlier blogpost.

You do not have to watch both videos, however, they are INTERESTING, EDUCATIONAL and CAPTIVATING if you like art and history.

Post five thought provoking questions that relate to these videos (and of course, be able to answer to these questions in class) so that we can have a discussion on these videos when school starts.
Who was Nefertiti?







Do you remember the names of the pyramids?

CURRENT EVENT- Art- Due 03/05/2013 or 03/07/2013 (depending on your number)

Current Event Discussion Outline

Directions: Find a current event related to course content and summarize it by finding the main idea. You will then develop four discussion questions and lead a 10-min class discussion. You must incorporate appropriate speaking strategies presented in this course. You will be evaluated according to the following criteria, which is based upon the TOEFL scoring rubric. This form must be submitted in class before you lead the class discussion.

Also, you need to post your link to the blogpost to demonstrate that you did some research. You can include a link to visuals (photo or video related to your topic) or article (related to your topic). Post the link before the class starts so that your peers can have time to glance over the material. If you plan to use Powerpoint, please email it to me before class.

Course topic (write down one):         

           

Source title:

Source type (circle one):

Newspaper article        Magazine article

Television news           Radio news

Main idea:

Discussion questions:

1.                                                                                             3.

2.                                                                                             4.

Grading Rubric Based Upon TOEFL Scoring

Score	60-69 (rarely or never)	70-79 (some of the time)	80-89 (most of the time)	90-100 (always)
Content The response…
has well connected ideas
contains good examples
clearly identifies the main idea (summary/paraphrase)
addresses the topic
Language The response…
Incorporates speaking strategy # 1  & 2
is free of multiple hesitations
Exhibits clear pronunciation
Incorporates effective  vocabulary
Incorporates correct grammar

HHere is Yu Chen's presentation as an example.

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