Help with engl due in 48 hours

HowtoWriteanEffectiveEmailtoYourProfessor-2.docx

10 Elements of an Effective, Non-Annoying Email (Plagiarized from Medium.com) – From Mr. Kirk Fontenot

Here’s a template you can follow when writing an email to a professor, professional staff member, or future employer. Each element is explained further below.

Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],

This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].

I’m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I’ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I’m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].

Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10], Favorite Student

Element #1: Salutation

Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. I like using “Good morning” or “Good afternoon,’ or you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it.)

Element #2: Honorific

An honorific is a title used to communicate respect for a person’s position. The simplest way to do this is to address them as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.,” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word “professor” in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that you don’t need to know your professor’s gender identity or marital status. If you call your prof “Mrs.” or “Miss,” Lord help you.

Element #3: Name

You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people! It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, and it’s probably Google-able, too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.

Element #4: Meaningless Nicety

It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life, which they will appreciate. (Don’t you want them to see you that way, too?) It doesn’t really matter what you say here; it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts. If you can make it come off like you genuinely mean it, bonus points for you.

Element #5: Reminder of how they know you

This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. The best way to do this is to mention that you’re in a specific course, such as “I’m in your Tuesday / Thursday 8:00 English 101.”

Element #6: The real reason for your email

This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Also, notice the request is made early on in the email. Being upfront shows you value the instructor’s time. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail. Do not sound like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” Instructors have office hours, so they should be able to meet with you.

Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person

There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors are seeking information that can already be easily found. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus, your notes, and Canvas to see if your question has been answered there.

If you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.

Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request

If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.

Element #10: Sign-off

If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.

*** Something to consider-

Spell out acronyms in emails unless it is common knowledge (ex. UPS, USPS) as that will help assure your readers find your email clear.

Why any of this matters

Learning how to craft professional emails is a skill you can take with you into the so-called real world. A courteous and thoughtfully constructed request is much more likely to receive the kind of response you want. You can use this same template when emailing your boss (or potential boss), a potential client, or really anyone who is not a friend or family member.

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THREEENGL.docx

Email Assignment

Using the template in "How to Write an Effective Email to Your Professor," write an email (in a word document) to me, your instructor. In the email, you must include two purposes of ENGL099L. Then you may ask a question about the course that is not in the syllabus, or you could also ask for a favor, such as a due date extension.

Read all of the notes in "How to Write an Effective Email to Your Professor" and "10 Elements of an Effective, Non-Annoying Email" before you get started!

Once you write the email save it, hit submit under this assignment, upload the assignment and make sure you get confirmation that it submitted. You will need to spend some time revising and editing to catch any little mistakes.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Discussion, "First Bath"

Pre-reading:

1. Based on the title, what did you expect the essay to be about? Why do you think Lea chose this title?

Reading:

2. What is the essay’s dominant impression? In other words, how would you describe the tone or feeling of the essay?

Re-reading:

3. Why do you think Lea might have written this essay? (4-6 sentences)

4. Is it an objective description of her husband’s body after surgery? (What does objective mean? What is the difference between objective and subjective?) Explain.

5. Lea uses some really interesting descriptive language. Let's take a look at a few instances:

a. What does “pallor” mean? (par. 4)

b. What is “the light of the new moon?” (par. 3)

c. Lea describes the smell of chemotherapy as “the smell of ice on steel.” What does this mean?

d. What is an umbilicus? (par. 4) Why include that particular image?

e. Now, look back at all of these images. What does Lea achieve by using such specific, creative language? Why not just say "his skin was pale" or "his fingers were dark?"

6. After reading this essay, what do you think could be some reasons why we write for description? (4-6 sentences)

Read and discuss, "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan

DIRECTIONS: After you read the chapter on narrative, answer the following discussion questions on the essay by Amy Tan, "Fish Cheeks." You can refer back to the essay here.

Be sure to answer all questions fully and in complete sentences. If it makes it easier, feel free to copy and paste the questions into your REPLY textbox.

Questions for Discussion

1. What point of view does Amy Tan use in “Fish Cheeks?” (First person, second person, or third person?)

2. Who are the characters in the narrative?

3. Where does Amy Tan use transitions? Give examples.

4. What is the main conflict in the narrative? How is it resolved?

5. What is the theme of “Fish Cheeks”?

6. What are three examples of description from this narrative?

7. This an example of a story told about a holiday gathering. Many of our own stories likely revolve around holiday gatherings with family or friends. In a short paragraph (minimum 12 sentences), briefly tell the story of a memorable holiday gathering.

Professional Writing Example

“Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan is an example of a well-written personal narrative. As you read the following narrative, try to determine the narrative’s point of view, plot, characters, transitions, conflict, and theme. See if you can identify areas where the author has included descriptive details.

Fish Cheeks

I fell in love with the minister’s son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but as white as Mary in the manger. For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new American nose.

When I found out that my parents had invited the minister’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?

On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She was pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns. The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges. A bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires.

And then they arrived – the minister’s family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled Christmas packages. Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.

Dinner threw me deeper into despair. My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table, dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food. Robert and his family waited patiently for platters to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert grimaced. Then my father poked his chopsticks just below the fish eye and plucked out the soft meat. “Amy, your favorite,” he said, offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear.

At the end of the meal my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking. “It’s a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied,” explained my father to our astonished guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddened face. The minister managed to muster up a quiet burp. I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.

After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, “You want to be the same as American girls on the outside.” She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt in beige tweed. “But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame.”

And even though I didn’t agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had suffered during the evening’s dinner. It wasn’t until many years later – long after I had gotten over my crush on Robert – that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods.

Questions for Discussion

1. What point of view does Amy Tan use in “Fish Cheeks?”

2. Who are the characters in the narrative?

3. Where does Amy Tan use transitions?

4. What is the main conflict in the narrative? How is it resolved?

5. What is the theme of “Fish Cheeks”?

6. What are three examples of description from this narrative?

10ElementsofanEffectiveNon-AnnoyingEmail-1.pptx

10 Elements of an Effective, Non-Annoying Email From Mr. Kirk Fontenot

Don’t be this student!

Here’s a template you can follow when writing an email to a professor, professional staff member, or future employer.

Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],

This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].

I’m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I’ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I’m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].

Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10], Favorite Student

Element #1: Salutation

Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one.

I like using “Good morning” or “Good afternoon,’ or you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it.)

Element #2: Honorific

An honorific is a title used to communicate respect for a person’s position. The simplest way to do this is to address them as “Professor.”

If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.,” but you’re safer with “Professor.”

Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word “professor” in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they can be addressed as such.

The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that you don’t need to know your professor’s gender identity or marital status. If you call your prof “Mrs.” or “Miss,” Lord help you.

Element #3: Name

You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong.

This is not difficult information to look up, people!

It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, and it’s probably Google-able, too.

Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.

Dear Mr. Funtnut,

Good morning, Mr. Fontnay,

Hello Mr. Fontnot,

Element #4: Meaningless Nicety

It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off.

It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life, which they will appreciate. (Don’t you want them to see you that way, too?)

It doesn’t really matter what you say here; it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts. If you can make it come off like you genuinely mean it, bonus points for you.

Element #5: Reminder of how they know you

This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor.

You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name.

The best way to do this is to mention that you’re in a specific course, such as “I’m in your Tuesday / Thursday 8:00 English 101.”

Element #6: The real reason for your email

This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good.

The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. This shows you value your instructor’s time.

Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail.

Do not sound like you are making demands.

If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet in person.

There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.”

Think for a second about why there is a market for this product.

Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person

Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus, your notes, and Canvas to see if your question has been answered there.

If you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?”

This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.

Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request

If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here.

This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.

Element #10: Sign-off

If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate.

You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.

Why any of this matters

Learning how to craft professional emails is a skill you can take with you into the so-called real world.

A courteous and thoughtfully constructed request is much more likely to receive the kind of response you want.

You can use this same template when emailing your boss (or potential boss), a potential client, or really anyone who is not a friend or family member.

Something to consider-Spell out acronyms in emails unless it is common knowledge (ex. UPS, USPS) as that will help assure your readers find your email clear.

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