English 1301
Angelina College
Mr. Hall
25 July 2017– a few notes
and a provisional rough draft of the syllabus for prospective English 1301
dual-credit students via Mrs. Herrington, Mrs. Barbay, and
angryverbs.blogspot.com.
1.
Text: The Bedford Handbook, 10th
Edition, Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers. I usually suggest to students that an older
edition would do, but not this term.
This is not simply a modest update; this is a much-changed edition and
this is the one you will need. It’s expensive, so consider also the
time-limited possibilities of an internet text. You and a study buddy may wish
to share the expense of a book, but don’t let the class parasite who’s been
bumming school supplies and lunch money from you since kindergarten bully you
into sharing.
These
should – should – be for sale at the Jasper Teaching Center the first few days
of term, but you might want to shop the GossipNet. The one site I checked was amazon.com, and
through them an edition in paperback is (as of 31 July) some $92. You can rent the book through amazon.com for
the term only, $30 as a paperback (which means you’d have to send it back after
term) or $39 via Kindle (it will simply disappear from your little Orwellian
telescreen after term). You can also buy
the book via Kindle at $67. I have no
investment in or connection with any supplier, and cannot guarantee any
dealings with them.
2.
Tardiness is
unprofessional, beginning on the first day.
This building has been here for decades and you registered for the
class; you cannot possibly be surprised by these facts. “I got behind a log truck” is one of many
excuses that won’t do.
3.
Gentlemen, I will
not say anything to you if you choose to wear a cap or hat in class; however, I
will not write you a college, scholarship, or employment reference if you do.
4.
A paper written
in pencil is an irredeemable zero.
Please don’t make excuses (“But no one would lend me a pen” or “But my
pencil is really dark.”). No. Everything in life has rules, and
professionals go to the job site prepared. Time to wear the big-boy pants.
5.
In class you may
with discretion access the little plastic machine that lights up and make
noises for class purposes only when I tell you.
When I don’t want you to access the little plastic machine that lights
up and makes noises I will advise you to turn it off and place it face
down. You may still touch its case for
comfort. Last year’s class was
professional about this; you can be too.
6.
Please know that
I am available for you before class, during class, and after class, but seldom
at other times. Several years ago I made
myself more accessible on-line, and that good deed was punished. I have learned
my lesson. After all, our class time is
our contact time. Please don’t stress about this – if you have an emergency
simply have a few trustworthy classmates tell me when they arrive in class. There are no unexcused or excused absences in
college, but sometimes it is useful to know why someone is not present. I will not break a rule; I have been known to
flex one until it cries “Calf rope!”
7.
Wow – all that
sounds cranky! I highly approve of
classroom merriment because happiness helps the learning experience; I highly
disapprove of errant nonsense (you are probably aware that there is a cruder,
earthier expression for that concept) of eye-rolling, hissy-fits, and petulance.
8.
I am boring, old,
and more ADHD than you, but I’m good at prepping young professionals – that’s
you - to write effectively.
M. Hall
Angelina College
This is a provisional
syllabus for English 1301; any changes between now and the first class will be
slight. If there is no subsequent version, this one is it. Dates may vary with the needs of the class.
Jasper High School
students only: Angelina College and Jasper High School have developed an
agreement which can modify some of the attendance requirements on certain (and
rare) occasions, such as U.I.L. competitions and Jasper High School
holidays. This agreement does not apply
to activity practices or rehearsals, meetings, absences due to JHS discipline
matters, and other occasions.
Angelina’s attendance policies are otherwise very clear; read them
carefully. If external situations not
covered in the Angelina / JHS agreement suggest to you that you might not be
able make class as required, you might want to consider a distance or computer
course instead of this one. Do not put
yourself in a bind.
I do not accept late
papers.
Tardiness is
unprofessional.
Your
text is The Bedford Handbook, 10th
Edition, Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers. Don’t
worry about bringing a copy to the first class, but you’ll need one the second
week. You are welcome to share a copy
with a study buddy. Do not buy any
ancillary material such as CDs or online access codes. You need only your book, paper, and pens
filled with copious amounts of black or blue ink (No pencils. Ever.).
English 1301 is by its nature
dull and mechanical; it helps you learn how to write professionally in the
detached third-person, addressing a topic or problem through proof and illustration,
not by self-reference, the incessant I, I, I, me, me, me self-absorption of our
age of anti-social media. Even a brief
reflection will reveal the need for rational thought: you wouldn’t want your
physician to focus on his or her moods instead of tending to your broken arm,
and an attorney who holds up his palm, whines “I’m not having a good day,” and
retreats to his or her happy place within his MeMeMeSpace on the Orwellian
telescreen does you no good in court.
So, yes, while English 1301 is a bit of a yawner its purpose is to help
you prepare for your profession and, as an extra, your ability to think
critically about the “cataract of nonsense” (C. S. Lewis) that flows from
popular culture.
Read the final syllabus
carefully; by enrolling in class you agree to follow it. If you have a question about this provisional
draft, please do not be shy in asking me about it the first week of class.
Angelina College
Liberal Arts
English 1301, Composition I
Syllabus
I.
BASIC COURSE
INFORMATION:
A.
Course
Description:
Three hours credit.
Intensive study of and practice in writing processes, from invention and
researching to drafting, revising, and editing, both individually and
collaboratively. Emphasis on effective
rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement, and style. Focus on writing the academic essay as a
vehicle for learning, communicating and critical analysis.
B. Intended
Audience: Students who have satisfied TSI writing requirements.
C.
Instructor:
Instructor Name:
Lawrence Hall. Office Location: G. Office Hours: Before and after class. Office
telephone: 409 489 9000. Facsimile
machine: 409 489 9416. “Call me” is not
a message. This is not a
distance-learning class. Thus, our
contacts will be in the classroom only.
II. INTENDED STUDENT OUTCOMES:
A. Core Objectives
Required for this Course
1. Critical
Thinking: to include creative thinking,
innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
2. Communication:
to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual
communication
3. Teamwork: to
include the ability to consider different points of view and to work
effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal
4. Personal
Responsibility: to include the ability
to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making
B. Course Learning
Outcomes:
• Demonstrate
knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes
• Develop ideas
with appropriate support and attribution
• Write in a style
appropriate to audience and purpose
• Read, reflect,
and respond critically to a variety of texts
• Use Edited
American English in academic essays
III. ASSESSMENT MEASURES
A. Assessments for
the Core Objectives (Tentative)
1. Critical
Thinking: Students will read expository prose critically to distinguish between
perception and inference, surface and implied meanings, fact and opinion. Students will formulate and develop arguments
and critical theories about issues, argumentative prose, and literary
interpretations. A rubric will be used
to assess critical thinking skills as demonstrated through embedded questions
on standardized exams.
2. Communication:
Students will write modal essays and other written compositions. Students will prepare visual aids to use in
oral presentations to accompany the compositions being prepared. A rubric will
be used to assess the effective development, interpretation and expression of
written, oral, and visual communication as demonstrated through embedded
questions on standardized exams.
3. Teamwork:
Students will engage in teamwork exercises to assess each member’s ability to
consider different viewpoints and work towards a common goal. These exercises may include a mixture of peer
editing in groups, group research projects, and group oral presentations of
findings. A rubric will be used to
assess teamwork as demonstrated through embedded questions on standardized
exams.
4. Personal
Responsibility: Students will be required to demonstrate their ability to
connect choices and actions, engage in ethical decision-making, and understand
its consequences. A rubric will be used
to assess personal responsibility as demonstrated through embedded questions on
standardized exams.
B. Assessments for
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Students will
demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes by
composing a variety of essays.
2. Students will
show the development of ideas with proper support and attribution by preparing
essays using appropriate MLA documentation.
3. Students will
demonstrate the ability to write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose
by composing essays with a variety of purposes directed to different types of
audiences.
4. Students will
demonstrate the ability to read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety
of texts by composing essays that directly address the ideas discussed and
issues raised in texts read in class.
5. Students will
show the ability to use Edited American English in academic essay by composing
a variety of essays employing EAE.
IV. INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES:
Methodologies that may be utilized in presenting course
content include in class or online lecture notes, paper and pen or online
grammar exercises or research exercises, in person or email workshops for
student writings in progress, audio-visual presentations for view in class or
outside of class, online discussions (synchronous or asynchronous), student
presentations to groups or to instructor only, and guest participants.
V. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES:
A. Required
Textbooks and Recommended Readings, Materials, and Equipment.
Your text is The Bedford Handbook, 10th Edition, Diana Hacker and
Nancy Sommers. Don’t worry about bringing a copy to the
first class, but you’ll need one either as bits of dead tree or as glowing
electrons the second week. You are
welcome to share a copy with a study buddy.
Do not buy any ancillary material such as CDs or online access
codes. You need only your book, paper,
and pens filled with copious amounts of black or blue ink (No pencils ever).
Young ladies, you are to stop
supplying the young men with pens, paper, and textbooks. They need to grow up.
Young gentlemen, you are to honor
the young women as you honor your grandmothers, your mothers, your aunts, your
girlfriends, your wives, and your daughters.
The root word in “gentleman” is “MAN.”
Young ladies, if any young gentleman
fails to demonstrate manly demeanor to you, you MUST let me know. Don’t assume.
Don’t be silent. Predators are
sneaky.
B.
Course Policies –
This course conforms to the policies of Angelina College as stated in the Angelina
College Handbook.
1. "Academic Assistance – If you
have a disability (as cited in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) that may affect your
participation in this class, you should see Sellestine Hunt Associate Dean of
Student Services, Student Center, Room 200. At a post-secondary institution,
you must self-identify as a person with a disability; Ms. Hunt will assist you
with the necessary information to do so. To report any complaints of
discrimination related to disability, you should contact Mr. Steve Hudman, Dean
of Student Affairs, in Student Center, Room 101, (936) 633-5292 or by email shudman@angelina.edu."
2. Attendance –
Attendance is required as per Angelina College Policy and will be recorded
every day. Any student with three (3) consecutive absences or four (4) cumulative
absences will be dropped from the class.
Records will be turned in to the academic dean at the end of the semester. Do
not assume that non-attendance in class will always result in an instructor
drop. You must officially drop a class
or risk receiving an F. This is official
Angelina College Policy.
3. Additional
Policies Established by the Instructor —
Quizzes
may appear at any time -- be prepared for each class. All work has a one-class-period expiration
date, but this is only if you are absent.
A due-date is not a suggestion; out-of-class assignments are due at the
beginning of the class. Please do not ask to leave class on a due-date to print
out your paper. No one wants to hear
about your home printer or computer problems. Really. This isn't high school.
Attendance: Per Angelina College and State of Texas requirements,
three consecutive absences or four cumulative absences from a day course or two
absences from a night course require me to drop you; I am not permitted
flexibility in this. In college there is
no concept of excused or unexcused absences. Disappearing during a break or
during class counts as an absence. Tardiness is an absence; your presence
elsewhere in the building instead of in class and on time is an absence. I cannot / will not re-teach a class session;
if you miss, you must ask a classmate for notes. Form casual study / buddy
groups and communicate with each other.
Out-of-class
work must be produced on a word processor.
I accept 12-point Bookman Old Style (preferred), Geneva, Arial, or Times
New Roman. Follow the MLA format. Papers
are due at the beginning of class; if you are in the library typing when class
begins you have both a zero grade and an absence. Please do not bring me a memory device and
ask me to print out your paper -- that's a zero for the assignment. In-class work must be in black or blue
ink. This is not high school.
Office
Hours: Before and after class. I am
almost always in the office or the classroom at least a half-hour before class
and for another half-hour or so after class. I will no longer be using my
personal internet service, which is slow, unreliable, and expensive, for
purposes that are built into the classroom experience.
Show
initiative; passivity is your enemy.
Class
participation: let's have lots of fun here, but remember that even the most
heated arguments should be in a spirit of good fellowship, with no ad hominem attacks. You are a scholar --
argue like one, with courtesy and generosity. The outside readings are not
overwhelming, so take some notes and prepare to make a significant
contribution: one good, original thought -- YOUR THOUGHTS, not Mr. Cliff's or
Mr. Sparks' -- per poem / essay / narrative.
No potty-mouth, and don’t cite the First Amendment as a pretext for
junior-high bathroom language; the First Amendment is about the freedom to
petition your government and the freedom to assemble peaceably.
Drinks
and snacks -- You probably had a long and tiring day before you arrived in
class, so I do not mind a cup of coffee or a small soda, but remember that this
is not McDonald's: no food, please. Please use a bit of paper towel so no rings
are left on the furniture, and at the end of class put all debris away in the
trash cans. Push the chairs back into position.
The nice folks who clean up around here are overworked and underpaid,
and deserve everyone's respect for their contributions to your success.
How
much help? When writing papers you may solicit a great deal of assistance from
others with matters of form and proofreading; indeed, I encourage such
collaboration. The thesis and content, however, must be your work alone, and
all quotations and sources must be properly documented. I cannot emphasize too
much what a serious issue this is. An instructor need not resort to plagiarism
programs; a simple string search on any search engine will ferret out a downloaded
paper. Anyone who perpetrates such an offense will suddenly be free of class in
order to find his or her true self. I search out all papers through plagiarism
sites, which may result in a slower paper return. I apologize for any delay
that occurs.
Referring
to this class as a basic to be gotten out of the way is impolitic. Education is
a joy in itself, a rare privilege enjoyed by very few people in history, and
even the most tiresome prerequisite is never something in the way. You are now
a college student, not a conscript high school sophomore. Celebrate your
intellect. Oh – and please don’t tell me that you made straight A’s in high
school.
Cell
'phones, recorders, things that stick out of the ear, and other gadgets -- I
don't mind if you keep your 'phone on buzz if you are concerned about a sick
child or a situation at least as important. Please take the call discreetly out
of the classroom. DO NOT TALK ON A TELEPHONE, TEXT, TWEET, TWIT, TYPE, OR
MANIPULATE ANY KIND OF CAMERA, RECORDER, OR OTHER COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE IN THE
CLASSROOM AT ANY TIME without a specific and immediate learning need, not even
before or after class. Don’t allow the Orwellian telescreen to absorb your very
being and become your happy place or Lotus Land. You are a child of God, not “a nameless
number on a list that was afterwards mislaid” (Doctor Zhivago). Disconnect from the electronic masters and
interact with humans for the duration of the class. Do not make any visual or
sound recordings at any time without the permission of the entire class. For those with hearing difficulties, you are
welcome to record me FOR YOUR OWN STUDY / REVIEW ONLY, WITHOUT EDITING AND
WITHOUT PUBLICATION. But be sure you
don’t record someone else without that person’s permission.
A
rule I never thought I'd have to make -- no spit cups.
Happenin’
hats – I ask you not to wear them in a classroom or an office. This is Texas, not Arkansas. Show a little
dignity. If you choose to wear a hat in
the classroom I will say nothing about it, but I won’t write you a reference
for scholarships, jobs, or college admissions.
If
you flunked English 1301 at a four-year school and are here to make it up, you
are very welcome; however, if you are under the illusion that this is an easy
class requiring nothing more than a cell 'phone, a bottle of water, and
practice in anger management, go away.
By
law I may not talk with a third party – parents, friends, relatives,
others. Regardless of your age, this is
not high school, and if your parents wish to keep up-to-date with your
progress, you must take care of that.
And, really, even if it were not the law, why should it be otherwise? The one exception, per contract and state
law, is that I will advise the high school counselor of dual-credit students of
any deficiencies, including tardiness. I
will not talk with you on the office telephone about some issues – after all, I
can’t possibly know if the person on the other end of the aether is you.
Being
prepared for class and being informed about class assignments is your
responsibility. IF YOU MISS A CLASS, BE
PREPARED WHEN YOU RETURN TO CLASS. Your
tentative calendar is the sequence I use to organize the class, so look at it
and communicate with your study-buddies.
Be prepared for class when you come back. Do not attempt to use an absence as an excuse
for not being prepared. This is college, not high school.
If you have more absences than allowed by the student
handbook, you will be dropped and you will not be readmitted. There are no excused absences; there are only
absences. For dual-credit students only
there is some flexibility for U.I.L. and some few other events.
If you have any work to make up because of an absence,
that work must be completed upon your return to class. Please be sure to initiate contact with me to
make your arrangements. You cannot make up work after the next class,
and there will be no make-up work allowed during the last two weeks of
classes.
I
do not accept late papers. If you are
absent the day an assignment is due, I will accept it at the next class, but
not later. If you miss a test or an
in-class essay you must write those on the Angelina campus before or after
class within a week.
ANY INSTANCE OF PLAGIARISM, WHICH IS THE UNACKNOWLEDGED
USE OF ANYONE ELSE'S WORK—PUBLISHED OR UNPUBLISHED—OR CHEATING OF ANY KIND,
WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE AND IRREVOCABLE FAILURE FOR THE ENTIRE COURSE.
It is the policy of Angelina College that you not bring
children to class.
I encourage you to talk with me. Please stop me during a lecture if you do not
understand the material. If you are
having difficulties, please bring them to my attention right away. I cannot help with understanding if you wait
until the day an assignment is due to ask for clarification. I do not give makeup or bonus work.
These policies are applicable to everyone throughout the
entire semester. Please do not embarrass
both of us by asking for exceptions to be made for you.
Jasper
High School students only: Angelina College and Jasper High School have
developed an agreement which can modify some of the following on certain
occasions, such as a U.I.L. competition and Jasper High School holidays. This agreement does not apply to called
practices, meetings, absence due to JHS discipline requirements, and other occasions. Angelina’s attendance policies are very
clear; read them carefully. If external
situations not covered in the Angelina / JHS agreement suggest to you that you
might not be able attend class as required, you might want to consider a
distance or computer course. Do not put
yourself in a bind.
Some
of the more important readings in Norton:
This is not a week-and-chapter course; the book is a reference, not a sequence
of lessons:
The Writing Process, pp. 3
- 92
Academic Reading and
Writing, pp. 93 – 190.
Research Writing, pp. 569
– 568
Writing MLA Papers, 569 – 673
VI. COURSE OUTLINE:
Class
Sequence -- VERY flexible. Indeed, this is so flexible it's a candidate for
Cirque d'Soleil. This is a pattern of a typical (and thus almost mythical)
semester. Use it as a maybe / sort of /
this-could-happen suggestion / guide, remembering always that preparations and
instructions for one class are given during the previous class, and your absence
is no excuse:
Week
1: Discussion of expectations. Hand out and discuss syllabus. Hand out and
discuss "Rules for Essay Writing."
Hand out and discuss “Words that Don’t Matter.” Think about a topic for
your research paper. Hand out and discuss, oh, more stuff. Begin Descriptive Writing.
Week
2 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time.
Grammar review item. You will be given a descriptive essay for
study. Read in class in small groups or
solo. We will suffer – um, enjoy - a guided discussion re the essay or excerpts
and author's techniques. Connect to students' own experiences. Assign rough
draft of a narrative essay, with time in class to begin. Think some more about
your research paper.
Week
3 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Peer review: Circulate rough drafts of
narrative essay in small groups. You will be graded on your possession of a
substantial -- a few scrawls in your notebook won’t do -- rough draft, most of
it computer-generated. Begin writing your research paper.
Week
4 (or so): Narrative essays due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal
time. Grammar review item. Introduce and discuss persuasive essay, concepts and
techniques. Assign topics for persuasive essay. Feel guilty because you haven’t
begun your research paper.
Week
5 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Circulate rough
drafts of persuasive essays in small groups for peer review. Panic about your
research paper.
Week
6 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Plunge into
existential denial regarding that research paper.
Week
7 (or so): Persuasive essays due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal
time. Grammar review item. Review for mid-term exam. Despair that after tonight
you must now really, really, really begin to write the research paper you
haven’ t even researched.
Week
8 (or so): First Great Celebration of Learning: Mid-term Exam.
Week
9 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Discuss research
papers in MLA format. Topics. Ad lib computer writing lab. Um…research paper?
Week
10 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Ad lib writing
research paper writing with one-on-one instructor consultation. No, I will not
give you a topic for your research paper.
Week
11 (or so): Research papers due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal
time. Grammar review item. Introduce and discuss expository essays. Examples.
Computer lab time. Curiously enough, attendance at tonight’s class will be thin
-- must be that virus that’s going around.
Week
12 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Ad lib writing of
expository essays with one-on-one instructor consultation.
Week
13 (or so): Expository essays due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal
time. Grammar review item.
Week
14 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Review for final
exam.
Week 15 (or so): Last
Great Celebration of Learning: Final Exam.
The dates for this may depend on JHS’s schedule.
Your research paper, which is
15% of your complete grade, is due:
6-9 November, NLT (not later
than) beginning of class, for ten bonus points.
13-16 November, NLT beginning
of class.
27-30 November, NLT beginning
of class, for a loss of ten points.
VII. EVALUATION AND GRADING:
A.
Grading
Criteria
1 Argument / persuasion paper 15%
1 Literary essay with documentation 15%
Best 1 of at least two in-class essays 15%
Average of tests / quizzes 15%
Research
paper 15%
Mid-term exam 15%
Final exam 10%
Please know that I use the
terms “quiz” and “test” synonymously.
“Tests and essays” as a category are the cumulative of your essays,
projects, and tests. The mid-term exam is
a stand-alone at 15% and the final exam is a stand-alone at 10%. I am considering grading the research paper
as two or perhaps three separate components for the cumulative 15%; this would
help your grade somewhat.
All papers assigned for this class must be
computerized in correct MLA format. Determination
of Grade (assignment of letter grades)
A
(90-100) Excellent
B (80-89) Good
C (70-79) Average
D (60-69) Minimum passing
F (50 or below) Failure
Standard Grading Policy for the English Department for
all Essays Assigned:
A–above average. Good organization, exceptional content,
No more than one major Error.
A+ =
98, A = 95, A- = 92, A- - = 90
B–above average.
Good organization, exceptional content, and only one or two major
errors.
B+ = 88, B = 85, B - = 82, B - - = 80
C–average.
Organization, clear content, no more than 3 major errors.
C+ = 78, C = 75, C
- = 72, C - - = 70
D–below average.
Either lacks content and/or organization or has many major errors. More than 4 major errors drops the grade to
an F.
D+ = 68, D = 65,
D - = 62, D - - = 60
F–failing. Shows
little or no effort. Contains 4 OR MORE
major errors. F = 50.
0–no grade. Did
not turn in work, plagiarized an essay, or did not write on the assigned
topic. Please Note: In the case of a
plagiarized essay or research paper, a student will be dismissed from this
course with an F.
Examples of major errors:
CS - comma splice The boy ran, he fell down.
Frag - fragment Crying as he fell on the sidewalk.
Frag error - fragment
error Although he was hurt; no one stopped
to help him.
RO - run on or fused He hurt his knee it was bleeding.
S/V - subject/verb
agreement Everyone laugh at him.
The instructor may modify
the provisions of the syllabus to by informing the class in advance. No document can cover all possibilities,
emergencies, or contingencies; if we are faced with an unanticipated situation,
the instructor will decide.
Provisional Calendar
The following calendar is a
soup featuring ingredients from the Angelina College Calendar and the Jasper
CISD calendar. This is subject to more
than change; it is subject to chaos:
28 August – 1st
day of class
29 August – last day to
change schedule
4 September – holiday
13 September – Twelfth
Class Day – official census
18 September – last day to
drop /withdraw with a 70% refund
25 September – last day to
drop / withdraw with a 25% refund
16 October. The JISD calendar lists this as Parent
Conference Day for Jasper High School teachers with Jasper High School
students; by state law I am forbidden to discuss your work with any third party
except your high school counselor. As a
parent, I do understand the feelings of a parent in the matter; as an Angelina College employee subject to
the state government for which your parents voted I am not going to lose my job
over it. If – note the “if” – this is
not a class day for you as a JHS student then it is not an AC class for
you. However, I will be on campus for
office hours if you wish for some extra help or if you wish to make up an
absence. Please be aware that other AC
instructors may hold class as usual, so no complaining if they do. Please know that in 2016 this was a regular
class day; the new administration may alter that, so be alert to changes.
23 October – mid-term. We
will take a mid-term exam this week
6 November – last day to
withdraw with a grade of W
13-16 November, official due-date for research paper
NLT beginning of class. No bonus points, no penalties.
20-24 November, Monday – Friday. Thanksgiving holidays for JISD and thus for
those in my class only; other instructors may make different decisions. However, I will be here on campus Monday and
Tuesday.
27-30 November, late research papers due NLT beginning
of class for a loss of ten points. Do
not ask to submit a research paper after 30 November; three months is
sufficient time for a short paper.
4 – 8 December – the
Jasper High School calendars lists these as state assessment days. I don’t know what that means. If you are a
dual-credit student and have an achievement test or exit-level exam for any of
those days then please tell me in advance so that I do not mark you absent.
Final exam – 7 and 8
December. You may take your final exam
on either of those days.
Well, gosh, this document
sure sounds cranky at times. I don’t
mean for it to be so. In this class I
want you to (1) develop your writing and thinking skills in preparation for
college, career, and worthy participation in making the Republic function well,
(2) earn – earn - an A, and (3) enjoy the experience.
|
See the
chart below for a description of an A, B, C, D, and F paper.
|
A Paper
B Paper
|
C Paper
|
D
Paper
|
F Paper
|
|||||
|
Thesis and Development
|
Has a lucid, significant, perceptive response to the
topic, which is fully developed.
|
Has a lucid, significant, response to the topic, which is
fully developed.
|
Has a discernible, controlling idea or thesis, which
responds to the topic; generally developed.
|
Has a discernible, controlling idea or thesis, which
responds, but is underdeveloped or trite.
|
No responsive thesis, or response is not developed at all.
|
||||
|
Support
|
Concrete, relevant details and examples.
|
Concrete, relevant details and examples.
|
Some superficial or trite generalizations, or facts with
little comment.
|
Underdeveloped and trite generalizations; sketchy or
irrelevant facts.
|
Little or no support for generalizations or merely lists
of examples.
|
||||
|
Audience Awareness
|
Structure, supports, and tone demonstrate consideration of
audience and purpose.
|
Awareness evidenced mainly in either structure and
supports or tone.
|
Awareness evidenced only marginally in appropriate use of
structure and support or tone.
|
Awareness slightly evident in appropriate use of structure
and support or tone.
|
Seems to exist for the writer only.
|
||||
|
Paragraphing and Logical Progression
|
Coherent paragraphs progress through necessary, evident
stages; includes transitions.
|
Generally coherent paragraphs progress through necessary,
evident stages; includes transitions.
|
Generally coherent paragraphs that may be unwieldy or
confusing; limited or predictable transitions.
|
Little or no attempt at cohesion; progress is confused or
haphazard; little or no use of transitions.
|
Little or no cohesion; confused and haphazard progression;
little or no use of transitions.
|
||||
|
Sentence Structures and Word Choice
|
Varied sentence structure; word choice is precise, fresh,
and economical.
|
Clear sentences; some stylistic variation; word choice is
precise, if not economical or fresh.
|
Clear but sometimes loose or basic sentences; word choice
is occasionally imprecise and flawed.
|
Little attention to sentence structure or revision; word
choice is often flawed or inadequate.
|
Basic/choppy or rambling/incoherent sentences; little or
no evidence of revision; inadequate word choice.
|
||||
|
Grammar Errors
|
Absent or so limited as not to disrupt the essay’s
readability in any way.
|
Minimal or so limited as not to disrupt the essay’s
readability in any major way.
|
Occasionally disrupt the essay’s readability.
|
So pervasive as to disrupt consistently the essay’s
readability.
|
So pervasive as to disrupt seriously and consistently the
essay’s readability.
|
||||
Thanks
to Mrs. Alanna Cornes, Angelina College, for her kind assistance with this
chart, and to Mrs. Nancy Doyle for her pacification of reactionary electrons.
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