Week 1

1. KWL+ on syllabus

HOMEWORK:
(1) Carefully read the syllabus.
(2) Complete your "KWL+" chart.
(3) Turn in your syllabus contract.
(4) Complete the student questionnaire.

1. Finish KWL+ on syllabus
2. Syllabus quiz
3. Your Worst and Best Writing Experiences -- FREEWRITE
4. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
2 copies of your writing sample, "Your Best and Worst Writing Experiences."

1. Collect Essay #1
2. Icebreaker
3. "Sausages and Oysters"
4. Vocabulary study cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read "What True Education Should Do" by Sydney J. Harris (HANDOUT)
(2) Complete 5 vocabulary study cards.

1. Vocabulary review
2. Summaries
3. GATT
4. Pre-Reading for Zitkala-Sa's "Incurring My Mother's Displeasure" and Booker T. Washington's "Up from Slavery"

HOMEWORK:
(1) Complete 15 more vocabulary cards.
(2) Read Zitkala-Sa's "Incurring My Mother's Displeasure" and Booker T. Washington's "Up from Slavery" (HANDOUTS)
(3) Create a 20-word summary for each of these stories. Don't forget to begin with a GATT sentence! Please type this assignment.

1. Discuss Zitkala-Sa's "Incurring My Mother's Displeasure" and Booker T. Washington's "Up from Slavery"
2. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Vocabulary Quiz #1
(2) Read Nicholasa Mohr's "The English Lesson."
(3) Formal Freewrite #1: Write a 1- to 2-page typed response to the story that contains:

• Your GATT summary sentence

• Answers to the questions on "Reading Fiction" (p 141 in Course Reader)

• A response to the following question:
  How do the lives of Mrs. Hamma's students compare to your life as a college student? What obstacles do her students face that you do not? How are your lives similar? What strengths and/or resources do you have that they might not have, or vice versa?

Week 3

1. Vocabulary Quiz #1
2. Discuss Nicholasa Mohr's "The English Lesson"
3. Pre-Reading and Vocabulary for Harry Edwards' "An Autobiography"

HOMEWORK:
(1) Formal Freewrite #2: Write a 1- to 2-page typed response to the following questions:

Have you ever felt frustrated with school, or lost your joy in learning? Describe the circumstances, and how you dealt with them. If you have not had these experiences, explain why you think you have been able to avoid these types of situations in school so far.

(2) Read Harry Edwards' "An Autobiography."
(3) Write a GATT summary of your reading.
(4) Start working on your vocabulary cards.

1. Vocabulary
2. Discuss Harry Edwards' "An Autobiography"
3. Subject-verb ID

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Michael Lancaster's "The Eyes of Chickens" (HANDOUT)
(2) Write a GATT summary of your reading.
(3) Work on your vocabulary cards.

1. Sentence focus
2 . "Organizational Charts"
3 . "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Sentence Focus (3) on p. 86 in Course Reader.
(2) Complete your "Organizational Charts."
(3) Vocabulary Quiz #2.
(4) Read "The Writing Process" (pp. 24-30 in Course Reader).
(5) Formal Freewrite #3: Write a 1- to 2-page typed response to the following questions:

• What kind of high school student were you? Describe your traits, habits, and behaviors.

• What influenced you to come to college? Was it a person or a particular event?

• How would you describe yourself as a college student now? Be detailed and use specific examples from your own experiences!

Week 4

1. Vocabulary Quiz #2
2. Essay organization
3. Discuss THEMES
4. Go over Essay #2 prompt

HOMEWORK:
(1) Formal Freewrite #4: Write a 1- to 2-page typed response to the following questions:

• What is the story of your educational career up to this point? Where did you start out? What did you have to go through to get to where you are today?

• What are the themes of your own story? Be detailed and use specific examples!

(2) Read pp. 49-52 in the Course Reader about thesis statements.
(3) Bring in a draft of your thesis statement.
(4) Read "Reader-Friendly Paragraphs" (p. 118 in Course Reader).

1. Thesis statements
2. Discuss "Reader-Friendly Paragraphs"
3. Topic sentences
4. Writing plans

HOMEWORK:
(1) Bring in two copies of your writing plan.
(2) Read about idea drafts (pp. 60-61 in Course Reader).
(3) Read about the writing process (pp. 31-36; 40-44 in Course Reader); be prepared for a quiz!

1. Quiz on "The Writing Process" and "Introductions and Conclusions"
2. Mini peer review on writing plans
3. Narrative vs. expository
4. Idea drafts
5. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Bring in two copies of your idea draft.
(2) Read about peer response (pp. 63-65 in Course Reader).

Week 5

1. PIE Paragraphs
2. Mini peer review on idea drafts
3. Guidelines for peer review
4. Peer review training

HOMEWORK:
Bring in three copies of your rough draft for peer review.

1. PEER REVIEW
2. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
Revise your draft and bring in one copy on Wednesday.

HOLIDAY - No Class Meeting.

HOLIDAY - No Class Meeting.

1. Coordinating conjunctions
2. Using FANBOYS (Workshop)
3. Using Quotations
4. Using MLA documentation style

HOMEWORK:
(1) Coordination (2) on pp. 92-93 in Course Reader -- please write out each sentence completely.
(2) "Quotation Exercise" (p. 183)
(3) "Creating a 'Works Cited' List" (pp. 181-182)
(4) Revise your draft to include at least one direct quotation; use proper MLA parenthetical citations.

1. Essay format
2. Proofreading
3. Go over "Quotation Exercises"
4. Go over "Creating a 'Works Cited' List"
5. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:

Essay #2 packet:

1. Correct essay format (refer to pp. 11-14 in Course Reader)
2. All of your peer review drafts
3. All of your peer review sheets
4. 2 copies of your final draft, with your thesis in [brackets]
5. "Works Cited" page
6. Writing Reflection #2

Week 7

Essay #2 packet due.

Root Words

HOMEWORK:
(1) List as many words as you can think of that use the root words; use your dictionary to help you.
(2) Bring your dictionary to class with you on Wednesday.

1. Root Words
2. Prefixes & Suffixes

HOMEWORK:
(1) Complete the root words worksheet.
(2) On 3 x 5" cards, create 10 "nonsense words" using the prefixes, root words, and suffixes.

1. "Nonsense Words"
2. "What I Learned"cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Kenneth Meeks' "Shopping in a Group While Black."
(2) Formal Freewrite #5: Write a 1- to 2-page typed response to the following questions:

• What exactly is going on in this situation, in your own words?

• How did the coach react to the situation? How did the players react?

• How did you feel when you read the ending of the story?

• Has anything like this happened to you or anyone you know? What happened, and how was the situation resolved?

Week 8

1. Context Clues
2. Racial injustice awareness
3. "Jim Crow" discussion groups

HOMEWORK:
(1) "Using Context Clues" (pp. 149-150). Please write your answers on a separate sheet of paper to hand in.
(2) Read your assigned section of Ronald Davis's "From Terror to Triumph: Historical Overview."
(3) Define any unfamiliar terms, and write a summary of the section's main points. Please type this assignment.

1. "Jim Crow" article presentations
2. "The Death of Emmett Till"

HOMEWORK:
(1) "Using Other Context Clues" (pp. 151-152).
(2) Formal Freewrite #6: Write a 1- to 2-page typed response to the following questions:

Read the lyrics to Bob Dylan's "The Death of Emmett Till" and freewrite a response to the song. You can listen to the song again here. How does this song make you feel? Summarize what happens in the song, then discuss the author's commentary and advice at the end.

1. A Time for Justice (38 minutes)
2. KWL+ on capital punishment
3. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Study for root words quiz.
(2) Go to the Death Penalty Information Center website and browse under "FACTS." On your KWL+ chart, find the answers to as many of your questions as possible. Try to make a list of at least 10 different facts in the "L" column, then finish the "+" column.

Week 9

1. Root Words QUIZ
2. "Give One, Get One"
3. Capital punishment

HOMEWORK:
(1) Vocabulary Quiz #3.
(2) Formal Freewrite #7: Write a 1- to 2-page typed response to the two death penalty editorial cartoons, "Opposing Viewpoints on the Death Penalty" (p. 203 in Course Reader).
(3) Bring in your copy of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines.

No Class Meeting.

For each set of chapters of this novel, you will create a 1- to 2-page reading journal that consists of these three parts:

1. Write a brief summary (1-2 paragraphs) of the chapters: identify the characters involved and summarize what happens.
2. Choose a quotation from the chapters that you find interesting, important, controversial, or otherwise significant. Remember to provide the context for the quotation: indicate who is saying this, who the quotation refers to, and cite the page number.
3. Respond to that quotation with a thoughtful paragraph or two that explains what you think the quotation means and why you chose to write about it.

Please make sure these assignments are at least 300 words, typed in black ink, double-spaced, in a 12-point font, and with 1” margins all around. Reading journals that are not typed will not be accepted. In the title of each assignment, indicate which chapters this reading journal refers to.

6 . Vocabulary Logs
7 . "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Ch. 1-5 of A Lesson Before Dying (pp. 1-41)
(2) Reading Journal #1
(3) Vocabulary Log #1
(4) Write down as many questions as you can about everything in the reading that interests you or confuses you. Write everything out as a question, even if you just want to remark on something you liked. Please type this assignment.

Week 10: SPRING BREAK

Week 11

1. Context Clues Quiz #1
2 . Creating a Questioning Circle

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Ch. 6-10 of A Lesson Before Dying (pp. 42-79)
(2) Reading Journal #2
(3) Vocabulary Log #2

1. Review Context Clues Quiz #1
2. Character Study
3 . Questioning Circles

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Ch. 11-15 of A Lesson Before Dying (pp. 80-117)
(2) Reading Journal #3
(3) Vocabulary Log #3
(4) Context Clues Quiz #2

1. Context Clues Quiz #2
2. Discuss Ch. 11-15 of A Lesson Before Dying.
3. "What I Learned" cards.

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Ch. 16-20 of A Lesson Before Dying (pp.118-159)
(2) Reading Journal #4
(3) Vocabulary Log #4

Week 12 

1. Review Context Clues Quiz #2
2. Discuss Ch. 16-20 of A Lesson Before Dying.

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Ch. 21-25 of A Lesson Before Dying (pp.160-203)
(2) Reading Journal #5
(3) Vocabulary Log #5

Discuss Ch. 21-25 of A Lesson Before Dying.

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read Ch. 26-31 of A Lesson Before Dying (pp. 204-256)
(2) Reading Journal #6
(3) Vocabulary Log #6
(4) Context Clues Quiz #3
(5) Create 10 text question cards (with answers) on 3 x 5” index cards about anything in the book. Be sure to cite the chapter and the page number that the answer is from.

1. Context Clues Quiz #3
2. A Lesson Before Dying GAME SHOW
3. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
2 copies of your writing plan

Week 13

1. Review Context Clues Quiz #3
2. Mini peer review on writing plans
3. Discuss organizational strategies for this essay
4. Coordinators and subordinators

HOMEWORK:
(1) Bring in two copies of your idea draft.
(2) "Subordination (3): Stay on the Trail" (pp. 98-99 in Course Reader).

1. Subordination
2. Sample thesis statements
3. Mini peer review on idea drafts

HOMEWORK:
Bring in three copies of your rough draft for peer review.

1. PEER REVIEW
2. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
Revise your draft and bring in one copy on Monday.

Week 14

1. "Sentence Focus: Who's to Blame"
2. "Using Quotations in Literary Analysis"
3. Essay Coherence

HOMEWORK:
(1) Revise your draft and bring in one copy on Wednesday.
(2) "Proofreading Warm-Up" (p. 107 in Course Reader)

Proofreading

HOMEWORK:
Essay #3 packet:

• Correct essay format (refer to pp. 11-14 in Course Reader)
• All of your peer review drafts
• All of your peer review sheets
• 2 copies of your final draft, with your thesis in [brackets]
• "Works Cited" page
• Writing Reflection #3

DON'T FORGET! Class will begin at 9:00 am today.

1. "Your Early School Experiences"
2. Anyon, Social Class and the Curriculum of Work

HOMEWORK:
(1) Essay #3 packet.
(2) Read Jean Anyon’s Social Class and the Curriculum of Work (pp. 221-228 in Course Reader)
(3) As you are reading, circle or highlight any unfamiliar words.
(4) Bring your American Heritage Dictionary to class with you on Friday.

Week 15

Essay #3 packet due.

1. Anyon, Social Class and the Curriculum of Work
2. In-Class Freewrite

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read John Holt’s “School Is Bad for Children” (pp. 229-232 in Course Reader)
(2) Formal Freewrite #8:
Identify the problems that John Holt writes about. What does he suggest as solutions? This article was first published in 1969: what problems remain and what new problems have occurred in schools? Which of the solutions that he suggested have worked and which have not? Why?

Holt, "School Is Bad for Children"

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read William A. Henry III’s “In Defense of Elitism” (pp. 233-235 in Course Reader)
(2) Read Kate Boyes, “Signed, Grateful” (HANDOUT)
(3) Formal Freewrite #9:
In his article, “In Defense of Elitism,” what does Henry suggest that we do in order to solve the problems with the educational system today? Do you think that Henry would’ve considered Boyes as a student prepared for college? Why or why not?

1. Boyes, "Signed, Grateful"
2. Henry, "In Defense of Elitism"
3. "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
(1) Read George B. Vaughn’s “Redefining ‘Open Access’” (pp. 236-238 in Course Reader)
(2) Read Shirley Lauro’s “Open Admission” (HANDOUT)
(3) Formal Freewrite #10:
What is the definition of “open access,” according to Vaughn? Why does he believe that open access should be limited? Do you agree or disagree with his assertions? Why? Consider the character of Calvin in Lauro’s play: is he benefiting from the open access policy at his school? Why or why not?

(4) Additional Readings (HANDOUTS)
(5) Write a 1-paragraph summary of each article and their main points/arguments. You should have a total of 4 summaries. Please type this assignment.

NO CLASS MEETING

1. Vaughn, "Redefining 'Open Access'"
2. Lauro, Open Admission
3. Current Issues in Higher Education
4. The Problems with Higher Education --- BRAINSTORMING
5 . Go over Essay #4 prompt.

HOMEWORK:
2 copies of your writing plan.

1. Discuss writing plans.
2. Begin drafting Essay #4.
3 . "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:
Bring in three copies of your rough draft for peer review.

PEER REVIEW

HOMEWORK:
Revise your draft and bring in one copy on Wednesday.

1. "Works Cited" page
2. Proofreading
3. Discuss Revision Conferences

HOMEWORK:

Essay #4 packet:

1. Correct essay format (refer to pp. 11-14 in Course Reader)
2. All of your peer review drafts
3. All of your peer review sheets
4. 2 copies of your final draft, with your thesis in [brackets]
5. "Works Cited" page
6. Writing Reflection #4

Essay #4 packet due.

1 . Go over Essay #5 prompt
2 . "What I Learned" cards

HOMEWORK:

(1) Read Roberts, "How to Say Nothing in 500 Words" (pp. 239-245 in Course Reader)
(2) Complete the exercises (pp. 246-247)

HOMEWORK:
(1) Complete the "Outcome Sentences" on p. 165 --- type these sentences out on a separate sheet of paper to hand in.
(2) Bring in two copies of your writing plan.

1. "Reflecting on Your Writing Process"
2. "Outcome Sentences"
3. Mini peer review on writing plans

HOMEWORK:
(1) Bring in:

• Your writing reflections
• A typed copy of your writing plan
• "What I Learned" cards

NOTE: If you do not bring these items in on Friday, you cannot bring them in on the day of the exam.

Assemble and collect the Final Exam packet

HOMEWORK:
(1) Get ready for your in-class essay final.
(2) Essay #5 packet due.