Learning Journal #1- Reading Strategies

At first when I was given this article I just read it with annotating anything. I read it a couple
times she there was a lot of time left over. I think I read it about three times. Normally when I get an
article I annotate but this time I didnt.
After we were done reading we began to hear different students ideas about the article. Some
students annotated and some just read the article like I did. Hearing the connections they made to the
article some were similar to mine and some were different. Also we saw the different ways they read the
article and the strategies they used , and the different connections they made to the article. When
annotating usually I just underline the main idea and restate it in my own words. But several of my
classmates did other thing like underline the historical events that were in the article.
After we learned about the different reading strategies and hearing other students ideas about the
article we read the article again and this time while I was reading I was able to make the same
connections as they did the first time. We began to use a strategy called partner reading. I began to see the
different ideas they made and understand why they made those connections. I began to use the same
strategies like they used while I was reading.
Overall, partner reading was helpful since your able to hear the different points that your partner
made that maybe you wouldn't have made before. I've done assignment with a partner before, like in math
and I find it very helpful since maybe you dont understand something but your partner might understand
it, and you begin to help each other.

Learning Journal #2 Peter Elbow

While reading Peter Elbows article Freewriting I remembered that we read that article
last semester so i didnt annotate since I already knew what the article was about.
The main topic that we did in class today was writing a summary about the article that we
read. We read the article in class and go into groups to discuss about the article and as a group we
began to write a summary for the article. ( The picture below is the summary we began to write
during class)
While writing the summary in class we were able to hear the different summaries that my
classmates came up with.
Overall, writing a summary for the article wasnt difficult since as a group we help each
other. We used teamwork to help get each other write the summary of Elbows article.

Learning Journals #3 Compare and Contrast

There are different ways to write a compare and contrast essay. But in class we learned two
different ways to write a compare and contrasts essays.
Method one is block method: one side at a time. Each paragraph only talks about one topic. For
example in the essay we had to write one paragraph would be about Peter Elbows freewrites and
another paragraph would be about Natalie Goldberg.
Another method is the point by point method: compares the items one point at a time. For
example you would compare and contrast each topic at one time in each paragraph.
Overall in class we used the block method which I like better to write a compare and contrast
essay.

Learning Journals #4 Revision

After writing our essay we began to learn how to revise them by learning the different sentence
variety. There are four different sentence variety that we learned about.
One is the simple sentence which only has an independent clause. Compound sentence is two or
more independent clause but no dependent clause. Complex sentence is one independent clause
and one dependent clause and no compete clause. The last one is multiple independent and
dependent clause.
When revising an essay you need to make sure that you dont have to many of the same type of
sentence type. You need to make sure that you dont have many run on sentences in your essays.

Learning Journal#5 The Pact

The pact is a discourse community. In A rough neighborhood in New Jersey. Three African
American boys who were raised by single moms. Living in drug addicted communities.
Problems gangs and lack of educational opportunities. Causes for these problems are poverty
missing father's, violence in the community drug addicts looking for money or things to sell for
drugs, and lack of family support.
The effects of living in these communities are the violence and drug addicts and the increase of
come rates by teens under 21, increase in death rates and massive incarceration.

Learning Journal#6 Profile essay

The profile essay which describes a situation in the discourse community.
For example profiling a homeless person which is like a scene creating the 5 senses for the
reader. Creating a scene about your discourse community for the reader.
Implies the thesis statement, a teaser for the essay, dives right into the person place or thing for
the reader which creates a scene for the reader. Use the profile essay as an example for a larger
discourse community.
Discourse community: A discourse community is a group of people who share a set of
discourses, understood as basic values and assumptions, and ways of communicating about those
goals.

Learning Journal#7 Revision

After writing the profile essay we had to the revision process.
When we have the revision process we have several steps before submitting the final draft. First
we use peer editing which is our first draft. Our classmates read the essay and see if your on the
right track and are able to tell you what you are missing.
After the peer editing draft, we write a second draft which in classes we go over the requirments
to see if we met all the requirements. After we do another peer editing to help catch grammar
errors in our essay.
After all theses revisions process, then we submit the final draft, with all the requirements, like
work cited and outline.

Learning Journal#8 Baca Poster Boards

After reading Bacas book a last place to stand last semester, we used that story and other stories
to explain the discourse communities.
Our topic was overcoming our born discourse community. Which basically states that coming
from a certain background people assume that you will be involved in criminal activity. But
being involved in discourse communities and surrounding yourself with people who want you to
do better instead of people who want you to continue a life of crime.
Also on our board we explained both fixed and growth mindset. And how having a growth
mindset allows for people to influence you for the better. Showing you that you can prove the
stereotypes wrong just like Baca did when he was in prison for a drug charge, and he found
poetry to help him and improve his life. Which help him and others not return to a life of crime
and not return to prison.

Learning Journal#9 Problem and So What

While writing the research essay we need to be able determine what the problem and what the
purpose of the essay is for. We also needed to find what the main so what statement is to show
why people should care about the topic you are researching.
In my research essay the problem I am mentioning is the homeless college student and how the
numbers are increasing. Not only are these students have a home during the semester, but when
holiday breaks arrive, they begin to not have a place to stay since the campus is closed.
For my so what statement shows how college dont provide enough programs to help these
students who are homeless. If action is not taken the homeless students will increase which will
also increase the dropout rate.

Learning Journals#10 Abstract

For our research essay we had to write an abstract for the beginning of our essay so the reader
can know before hand what we are talking about.
In this abstract we let the reader know the topic of the essay which is homeless college students
and how the number of homeless students is increasing and we need to provide more programs in
order to help them overcome being homeless.
Explaining the causes and effects of being homeless and offering more programs to help theses
students receive a higher education while being homeless.

Learning Journal#11 Solution Essay

While writing a problem solution paper you need to first state the problem and then state the
solution. While examining and analysis the community of the problem.
Describing the solution- Present other solution and then create my own or use one someone else
made up and add on to it. Who would disagree acknowledge the other side. Follow up with
what they are wrong and your right.
. Need an audience
. What the purpose is
. Have cause and effect clear
. Topic Sentence

Learning Journal #12 Annotated Bibliography

While doing annotated bibliography it consists of two parts the citation and the summary of the
source you are using.
While citing a book by one author you use the format of
-Last, Name. Book Title:SubTitle City:Publisher,Year.Print
-Add opening for each citation
-12 point font
While annotating the source used there is an order of information
1. Context Sentence
2. Summary
3. Reflection and Analysis
Compress the language
-Take a scholarly tone

Learning Journal#13 Check List

Before turning in our research essay we have a checklist to follow before turning it in to receive
full credit.
Never start or end a paragraph with a quote the only exception is in the introduction.
2 or more quotes in a tiny paragraph is bad meaning there need to be more analysis in that
paragraph. 1 quote in a humongous paragraph means not enough evidence which requires you to
do more research.
Every quote needs a contextualized introduction or signal phrase. Use each source at least twice.

Learning Journal #14 Work Cited Page

Turning in the work cited page for our research essay we need at least ten sources before turning
it in.
Periodicals (e.g. magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals) that appear in print require the
same medium of publication designatorPrintas books, but the MLA Style method for citing
these materials and the items required for these entries are quite different from MLA book
citations
Examples of work cited pages are:
Davis, Dr. Sampson. Et as. The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and fulfill a Dream.
New York: Riverhead Books 2002.Print
Pipher, Mary. Writing to Change the World. New York:Routledge,2002.Print

Learning Journal #15 Student Learning Outcome

Today we discussed about our final assignment for English 1A which is out E portfolio. In this
assignment we need to explain our student learning outcomes that we did these semester and
explained them in our own words.
We also did an example of one of our student learning outcomes. We did our first student
learning outcome wiht was: Reading- Synthesize interdisciplinary discourses, including
literary texts, representative of diverse voices and experienced. We went into detail of which
word meant and which assignment we did that related to that concept.
For example on word that we went into detail with was Synthesize, Which is breaking down
text, putting them together to find a new idea.