Weekend Assignments (for 12/1 and 12/2)

• Assignment for Saturday, 12/1 (due by 11:59 p.m.):
• In Doc Sharing, under the "PowerPoint Presentation" section, download and review the "PUNCTUATION - Special Forms" file. Learn these forms of punctuation, and add them to E1D3. 
• Submit E1D3 (your final, most-perfect draft) to the Turnitin folder named "Essay 1, Draft 3 - Narrative - FINAL (All Sections)."
•  Update based on my E1D2 editing comments, but do not stop there. Review each section and sentence to make sure that all phrasing is crisp and clear. Also, make sure that you have followed all basic MLA formatting guidelines.
• Be sure to add to the final draft one semicolon, one colon and one dash or pair of dashes (all properly used per the PowerPoint, of course).
• Assignment for Sunday, 12/2 (due by 11:59 p.m.):
• Complete the PeerMark activity (Turnitin's version of peer review).
• You will review two E3D1 essays (written by other students).
• For the first two questions, spend time on your written responses.
• For the other questions, use our essay rubric. Be honest and objective when rating the essays.

Essay 3 - Instructions and Writing Prompts

For Essay 3, you will write an argument/analysis essay on one of our recent topics (concerning fast food and health, media or technology). The final draft will be a minimum of three full pages, plus a Works Cited list on the fourth page. You will draw from at least one of the sources/readings that I have provided; you will also draw from at least two additional sources/readings. This time, you may branch outside of the SMC databases for your additional sources. Just be sure that you use credible, valid sources. If you are unsure about the validity of a source, check with me.

The first draft is due Thursday, 11/29, by 11:59 p.m. The requirement for the first draft is a minimum of two full pages (no Works Cited page required for the first draft). Name the file E3D1, and submit the file to Turnitin, in the folder called "Essay 3, Draft 1 - Argument/Analysis (Section 2022)." Bring a paper copy to class on Friday, 11/30, for peer review.  

As with all other essays, Essay 3 must be MLA-formatted, double-spaced and written in Times New Roman, 12-point font. Use one of these file extensions: .doc, .docx, .rtf or .odt. Do not submit a .txt (text) file.

Writing Prompts:

• Fast Food and Health
• Write an argument essay that responds to Radley Balko's article "What You Eat Is Your Business." You may agree, disagree, or both agree and disagree.
• Write an argument essay that responds to Paul Campos' article "Being Fat Is OK." You may agree, disagree, or both agree and disagree.
• In "Being Fat Is OK," written in 2001, Paul Campos downplays the idea that Americans are overweight. However, a recent report states that we are trending toward obesity, with most Americans being obese by 2030. Write an argument essay that responds to Campos, factoring in the report's information.
• If that recent report is true, and if we are headed toward an obesity epidemic, then how can we prevent a crisis? What are the solutions? What steps must we take? In your essay, make this argument.
• Media
• In "Watching TV Makes You Smarter," Steven Johnson discusses the benefits of watching TV. In "Thinking outside the Idiot Box," Dana Stevens responds to Johnson, presenting a different perspective, and also discusses "the wet-blanket Puritanism of the anti-TV crowd." Which piece is more effective/persuasive, and why? Respond to this prompt in an argument essay.
• To analyze is to break down a subject in order to gain a clearer understanding of that subject. In "Watching TV Makes You Smarter," Johnson analyzes various TV shows to support his argument. He breaks episodes down into their plots, sub-plots, characters, indicators (i.e., flashing arrows), etc., and he presents his findings in graphs. Using Johnson as a model, write an analysis essay in which you examine three TV shows or three TV commercials (your chosen texts). Analyze these texts, breaking them down into their parts, in order to support your argument. You can also develop your own graphs to support your claim.
• In "Bart Simpson: Prince of Irreverence," Douglas Rushkoff analyzes The Simpsons to support his argument about the show. Using Rushkoff as a model, choose a television show that you watch regularly, and write an essay in which you analyze the show in order to support your unique argument about it.
• Write an argument essay in which you take a stand on the intellectual merits of television. Consider the arguments of Johnson, Stevens and Rushkoff. Frame your essay as a response to one of them.
• Technology
• In "What's the Matter with Kids Today?", Amy Goldwasser argues that today's tech-savvy youth are strong critical thinkers. What do you think? Responding to Goldwasser, write an argument essay in which you take a stand on this issue. Provide examples from your own experiences and observations.
• Amy Goldwasser and Sherry Turkle both use questioning titles in their essays; however, their positions are quite different. Of the two readings ("What's the Matter with Kids Today?" and "Can You Hear Me Now?"), which piece is more effective, and why? Respond to this prompt in an argument essay.

Assignments for the Next Two Weeks

• Assignment to complete ASAP:
• In Doc Sharing's "Media and Technology" section, print out, read and annotate Goldwasser's "What's the Matter with Kids Today?" and Turkle's "Can You Hear Me Now?" Bring these texts to class on 11/30.
• Research terms and concepts within the texts. Along with your printouts, bring to class three discussion points for each text.
• Thursday, 11/22: THANKSGIVING
• Enjoy your break.
• Assignment for Monday, 11/26 (due by 11:59 p.m.):
• Submit E2D2 (your revision) to the Turnitin folder called Essay 2, Draft 2 - Persuasive (Section 2022).
• Assignment for Thursday, 11/29 (due by 11:59 p.m.):
• Submit E3D1 to the Turnitin folder called Essay 3, Draft 1 - Argument/Analysis (Section 2022).
• Assignment for Friday, 11/30 (to be completed before class):
• Bring to class a paper printout of Essay 3 (your two-page draft).
• You must have your draft present in order to receive full points for Friday's class session.
• Bring to class your annotated Goldwasser and Turkle texts. Be ready to discuss these texts.

Winning Prewriting

After receiving the prompt for an in-class, timed writing exam, you should spend a small portion of your time on prewriting. Some students see prewriting as a waste of time; they start writing their essays right away. That strategy works well for a few students but not as well for others. Oftentimes, a student who hasn't done any prewriting will go off-topic or will neglect to mention a key point. 

In an earlier post, I presented an example of winning annotation. Below are examples of winning prewriting (from my T/Th classes). Mirna's page shows a thorough outline; Lauren's page shows clustering and a brief outline.

For our next in-class writing exam, I suggest that you emulate Mirna and Lauren, spending 10-12 minutes on prewriting.

Rushkoff Supplemental

Here is another playlist (roughly 12 minutes long) to help you out with our Rushkoff reading.

The playlist contains clips of the following: 

• Father Knows Best and I Love Lucy (the '50s TV that Rushkoff mentions) 
• The Tracy Ullman Show (on which the Simpsons family first appeared) 
• The Simpsons (an extended opening to the show) 
• A commercial for Mr. Microphone (the toy parodied in "Radio Bart")
• A scene from "Radio Bart" (in which Sting and others sing "We're Sending Our Love down the Well")
• A dinner scene involving the Warren family (from Father Knows Best)
• Short dinner scenes involving the Simpsons family (from The Tracy Ullman Show)

 

Johnson Supplemental

To supplement the Johnson reading, and to give you visual support for the shows he references, I have compiled this playlist of YouTube clips. In total, this playlist's run-time is roughly 25 minutes (edited down from over an hour of video).



 



Note: The playlist ends with the final scene of The Sopranos. The show did end in this way: cutting suddenly to black, followed by 10 full seconds of black before the end credits appeared. At the time, some fans expressed irritation. They thought their TVs had malfunctioned, or they saw the ending as ambiguous and as a cop-out. Other fans saw it as the perfect ending for this series. They noted the allusion to the restaurant scene in The Godfather, and they claimed that the scene provided clues to what would follow (Tony's death).

Assignment for 11/16

Assignment for Friday, 11/16 (to be completed before class):

• Swiftly reread Johnson's "Watching TV Makes You Smarter." Then read Stevens' "Thinking outside the Idiot Box." Bring both texts to class. Be prepared to discuss them.
• In Doc Sharing's "Media and Technology" section, print out, read and annotate Rushkoff's "Bart Simpson: Prince of Irreverence." Along with the printout, bring to class three discussion points.
• In TSIS, read and annotate Ch. 9 (pp. 121-28). Bring to class three discussion points.
• Bring to class a printout of one of your essays (for a writing activity).

Assignment for 11/9

Assignment for Friday, 11/9 (to be completed before class):

• In Doc Sharing's "Media and Technology" section, print out Johnson's "Watching TV Makes You Smarter" and Stevens' "Thinking outside the Idiot Box." Bring these texts to class.
• For Johnson's text, read and annotate the printout. Along with the printout, bring to class three discussion points.
• For Stevens' text, just bring the printout to class.
• Prepare to take Writing Exam #3. For instructions and tips, see the previous post.
• We will again meet in Drescher 203 to take the exam. If you choose not to type your essay, bring a blue book to class.

Writing Exam #3 - Information and Tips

On Friday, 11/9, you will take the third in-class writing exam. Writing Exam #3 will focus on our four "Fast Food and Health" readings: Zinczenko's "Don't Blame the Eater," Campos' "Being Fat Is OK," Balko's "What You Eat Is Your Business" and Warner's "Junking Junk Food." 

Once again, I will provide you with the specific writing prompt on the day of the exam, and then you will have 80 minutes to compose an essay that responds to the prompt.


Bring to class all necessary materials:

• A large blue book
• All four texts, annotated (including the Zinczenko text in TSIS)
• Pens (not pencils)
• A paper English dictionary or thesaurus (optional)

Here are some tips to prepare for the exam:

• Reread and re-annotate the four readings.
• In each reading, note where the writer makes strong points. Explain why these points are effective.
• Note where the writer's argument is lacking. Explain why the argument is weak.
• Focus on the specific "moves" that each writer uses. Where does the writer effectively use the TSIS moves that we have learned? Are any moves lacking? How might these moves have strengthened the writer's argument?

Here are some tips to use during the exam:

• Be aware of the time. Manage your time wisely.
• Spend 10-12 minutes on writing a quick outline. Without such an outline, your writing might ramble off-topic.
• Respond directly to the writing prompt. 
• Use textual evidence (in other words, draw from the readings) to support your claims.
• Write clearly. I will need to be able to read your writing. If I cannot read your writing, then you might receive no points for this exam.

Winning Annotation

To be an "A" student in our class, one who goes above and beyond, you will want to be an active (not passive) reader, interacting with every assigned text. As I've mentioned before, interacting with texts requires annotation.

Below is an example of winning annotation from your classmate Juanita. I suggest that you emulate Juanita here, annotating all texts thoroughly.