Assignment for Tuesday 11/4

Yes, we do have class on Tuesday! GO VOTE and come to class.

Here's the new prompt:
Your community has received a fund of money to be spent on improving the quality of life for all citizens. Two proposals have been made. One is to build a stadium with a stage for theater, music, and dance. The other is to create an exercise trail through the park. Write a letter to your city councilman urging him or her to vote for the proposal of your choice.

One thing we talked about in class:

• This is your world that you are inventing. You can create specifications like the exercise trail has a variety for exercises, some difficult ones for athletes, some accessible for children, some that could be done by seniors or people with disabilities . . . In other words, this is your world. Take it over.

We also talked about several types of arguments that could be used for a variety of prompts, for example --

• bringing diverse groups of people together. Remember, we live in Queens -- many national groups, many languages. You can always argue that people hang out with their own people so much that they are not getting to know each other, and public events can bring people together.
• reducing stress.
• health.
  
• improving the economy of the neighborhood. Any time you have an activity that gets people out, you have an opportunity to increase the numbers of people patronizing local businesses, which brings in more taxes that can be spent on improving the neighborhood, which brings in more business . . . .

If you're confident with organizing your body paragraphs, experiment with a counterargument. If not, stick to the positive arguments till you get good at them.

We analyzed two sample essays in class. Email me for them.

Assignment for Thursday 10/30

We worked on revising two sample letters. You can ask me for the handouts in class Thursday. We brainstormed a new prompt:

Your school has decided to devote a sum of money to increasing student retention. Two proposals have been made: One is to create student jobs in which any student who wants an on-campus job will be hired and trained. The other is to increase the number of hybrid courses in which the student has to physically attend class only one day per week and completes the second day’s work in on-line assignments and discussion groups. Write a letter to the president of the school in which you urge him to support one of these two proposals.

 

Note: A hybrid class is a combination between a traditional face-to-face class and an on-line distance education class. You come to class once a week; you do your work on-line once a week. The face-to-face classes can be smaller because half the students are working at home.

 

Follow the two suggestions below to take it to the next level.

 

Taking it to the next level:

1.  There is research that suggests that a key factor in student retention is students’ feeling of connection to the campus, both to faculty and to other students. Find a way to use that information to support your argument.

 

2.  Find a way to use the counterargument structure. Here are some starters.

 

The proposal to ______________ might seem like a good way to ______________. However,

 

Although the proposal to ________________ would (do something good), it would actually ______________.

 

Despite the benefits of the proposal to ___________, it would benefit a smaller number of students than the proposal to ____________,

Assignment for Tuesday 10/28

There will be no class Thursday of this week because I will be out of town.

The new assignment will be posted by noon tomorrow (Wednesday). Several of you have asked about my kitty. Thank goodness, she's recovering!

Assignment for Tuesday 10/21

We did extensive brainstorming in preparation for an ACT-style essay based on the following prompt: 

Your borough has received a large donation to improve the quality of life for area residents. Two proposals have been made. One proposal is to extend the subway system to reach more areas of the borough. The other proposal is to widen the major roads so that there are fewer traffic jams. Only one proposal can be put into effect. The borough president has announced that the final decision will be based on which proposal will most improve the quality of life for area residents. Write a letter to the borough president explaining how your choice will most improve the quality of life for area residents.

So the assignment for Tuesday is to write a letter based on that prompt. The letter needs to have an introduction, one or two well-developed paragraphs, and a conclusion. 

Email me for --

• two internet articles with supporting information for the essay.
  
• a sample student essay that we analyzed in class.

Assignment for Thursday 10/16

The schedule is crazy. There are no classes Thursday, and next Tuesday follows a Monday schedule, so I will not meet with you till Thursday 10/16. That's three days, so I'm giving a three-part assignment. Because the assignments are based on handouts, you'll need to email me so I can send them as attachments.

Do not come to class without having taken responsibility for contacting me and doing the work. Absence is not an excuse. 

Assignment for Tuesday 10/7

Organizing Ideas in Writing: Paragraph Unity

In class, we looked at strategies for organizing ideas, specifically 2-part and 3-part paragraph structure. You can email me for that handout or get it from me in class Tuesday.

Neighborhood Interview Essay

We gave feedback on the neighborhood interview essays that people had written. Specifically, we looked at strategies for creating "fatter juicier" paragraphs. Bring your essay on Tuesday, and we'll work with that.

Since the assignment was to develop revisions that we started in class, there's no new assignment for you. Simply come prepared with your typed essay on Tuesday.

Do come prepared.  Fair Warning: I am going to start marking people absent if they come to class without their assignment. Being a warm body in the classroom doesn't count. Doing the work counts.