english course

Week one:-

1) Tell us about yourself on the Introductions G+ page. Beyond giving us where you’re from, what you’re studying, etc., tell us something that you think makes you unique. Once you’ve done that, respond to at least three of your peers’ introductions.

2) So to recap, consider the following questions:

· In what ways do you use research skills in your everyday life? What things do you research?

· For what reasons do you research in school?

· How do the research skills you use in your everyday life differ from those you use for school? How are they the same?

· In what ways does research matter to you as a critical reader and writer? How might developing your research skills (which is one thing we’ll do in this class) help you to become a better reader and writer?

Once you’ve listened to the prompt and reviewed the listed questions, post an initial response to this week’s Google+ (G+) Conversation on the Why Research Matters G+ Page either as an audio response (at least a minute long) or a written post (at least 150 words). Once you’ve posted your initial response, reply to at least two of your classmates with replies of at least 75 words, asking questions, making personal connections, and/or expanding on what they’ve said. ( there is a voice memo and video on the website)

3) Micro-essay #1: Expand an annotation

Expand one of the annotations you made on one of the essays from this week’s reading list into a 300 word response. Not sure where to begin? Here’s a pointer: Once you’ve finished your reading, review your annotations and list on a separate sheet of paper (or otherwise highlight) the most powerful thoughts and impressions you had. Trust your first thoughts as you do this and avoid the temptation to self-edit—by which I mean that instead of writing down the sorts of thoughts you think you ought to have, put in your list what you want to put there. Then review your list and pick out your most intense point of response. Expand it from an annotation into a 300 word micro-essay.

Micro-essay #2: Summarize an argument

Summarize one of the essays from this week’s reading list. The purpose of a summary is to accurately describe the main point and the important details of whatever you’re summarizing. While summary writing is generally fairly short, it isn’t easy. A good summary incorporates all the important aspects of a particular essay so a reader who hasn’t read the original work can understand what it’s about. So, the most important element of a good summary is the ability to accurately depict what is in the original article. In order to do so, you must be familiar with the work you’re summarizing. Before you begin the summary, then, make sure you’ve read it enough times to really understand what it’s about. Once you’re sure you understand, you’ll be better able to relate the main point of the essay and the important points that support it. (Link to this page and scroll down for some additional tips on summarizing.)

Remember: These are micro-essays. Stick to at least 300 words (and not too much more).

Once you’ve written your essays (per the directions on the main micro-essays page), post a link to each on the Week One Micro-essays G+ Page. You can share each link in the same G+ post; just be sure to designate which link leads to Micro-essay #1 and which leads to Micro-essay #2. After you’ve posted your essays, comment on at least two of your peers’ essays in Google Drive. Your comments should be at least 50 words long. In them, you should ask questions, make personal connections, and/or expand on what your peers have said. You can also give feedback on how the essay is written.

4) Complete the Week 1 Reflection

Week 2)

1) Post the thesis statement for your Argumentative Essay on the Thesis Building G+ Page.

2)Comment on at least three of your peers’ thesis statements. Drawing from your understanding of what makes a killer thesis statement, you should tell your peers what you think makes their statement strong and/or offer suggestions on how it could be improved.

3) Micro-essay #3: “Yes, but…”

Pick a claim made in one of the essays from this week’s reading and rebut that claim. To rebut a claim is to try to prove that the claim isn’t true. You can do this by acknowledging any validity the claim has, then by asserting and supporting a counterclaim. It might be easiest to do this by first finding a claim to which you responded strongly when you first read it and with which you disagree, then by stating and offering support for your opinion. One way you might frame a rebuttal is by thinking of your counterclaim in terms of a “Yes, but…” formula: “So-and-so suggests such-and-such, but I assert this…”

Micro-essay #4: “Yes, and…”

Pick a claim made in one of the essays from this week’s reading and extend that claim. Add additional support for the writer’s argument. Being able to expand on someone else’s claims with your own support can bolster your argument because it shows that your thinking on the issue-at-hand may be more robust than the original writer’s thinking or that you’ve brought more research to bear on the issue. One way you might frame a claim-expanding argument is by thinking of your expansion in terms of a “Yes, and…” formula: “So-and-so suggests such-and-such. I agree with that claim and offer this as additional support…”

Remember: These are micro-essays. Stick to at least 300 words (and not too much more).

1) Once you’ve written your essays (per the directions on the main micro-essays page), post a link to each on the Week Two Micro-essays G+ Page. You can share each link in the same G+ post; just be sure to designate which link leads to which micro-essay. After you’ve posted your essays, comment on at least two of your peers’ essays in Google Drive. Your comments should be at least 25 words long. In them, you should ask questions, make personal connections, and/or expand on what your peers have said. You can also give feedback on how the essay is written.

4) Submit your Argumentative Paper Proposal (which you should prepare as a Google Doc) by sharing a link to your file on the Proposal G+ Page.

5) Complete the Week 2 Reflection