Sentence Fragments and Run-ons

Sentence fragments and run-on sentences are two of the most common mistakes
that new writers make, but they are easily avoided.

Fragments

A sentence fragment is a sentence lacking a noun or a verb, or one which has a

dependent word attached to it which makes it need a second clause. Generally
speaking, fragments can be divided into four types:

Dependent-word fragments
-ing and -to fragments
Added detail fragments
missing subject fragments

1). Practice: Dependent word fragments

A dependent word fragment is one that is only incomplete because the addition of
one word or a key phrase means that a second clause is needed. For example, "I
did my homework." is a perfectly good sentence, but "Although I did my
homework." is a fragment because the world "although" indicates the need for a
second clause in the sentence.

Make each of the sentences below complete by adding an additional clause.

ex. Before I went to college

Before I went to college, I had no idea of how to manage my time.

1. Unless Carla answers her phone in the next ten minutes

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2. Even if we make it to the beach tomorrow

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3. Whichever decision Mandy makes

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4. Because my sister didn't feed the cat

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5. Even though Carlos speaks good English

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2). -ing and to fragments

When a word ending in -ing or when to appears near the beginning of a sentence, it
may result in a fragment. You can fix them usually by adding a second clause to
the sentence.

ex. To convince Sarah to go on a date with him.

To convince Sarah to go on a date with him, Ted enlisted the help of her best friend
Jeanne.

1. To get to Guayaquil from Quito.

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2. Falling behind in his chemistry class.

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3. Walking through the rain to get to class.

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4. To learn how to speak English.

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5. Working in a movie theater.

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3). Added Detail Fragments

Sometimes when you're writing, you want to add details after you've already
finished a sentence. This can result in an added detail fragment. These can be fixed
by adding them to the appropriate clause or by adding a noun or verb as needed.

ex. My friend Dave enjoys watching movies. Especially old monster movies.

My friend Dave enjoys watching movies, especially old monster movies. OR My

friend Dave enjoys watching movies. He especially enjoys watching old monster
movies.

1. Maria collects Coca-cola stuff. Like old trays and posters.

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2. Theo loves hamburgers and junk food. Mostly from Rusty's and Corral.

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3. Electronic devices keep getting smaller. Like phones and video cameras.

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4). Missing Subject Fragments

Sometimes, the subject of a sentence is left out, causing a fragment. Usually the
writer and reader understand what the missing subject is, but these still need to be
fixed.

ex. Every day, Kerry runs for thirty minutes. Then lifts weights.

Every day, Kerry runs for thirty minutes and then lifts weights.

1. My dog is pretty insane because he always chases the neighbors. And barks all
night, too.

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2. Victor likes traveling, hanging out with his friends and fishing. And going to the
movies.
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Run-on sentences

A run-on sentence is just the opposite of a fragment. Unlike a fragment, which does
not have enough information to be a complete sentence and needs to be added to
something else, a run-on is a sentence which is too long and needs to be divided.

There are basically three kinds of run-on sentences. They are:

Sentences which need to be split into two with a period and capital letter
Sentences which are incorrectly punctuated (usually a comma)
Sentences which may be grammatically correct but which are simply too long

5). Sentences which should be split up

Sometimes, two sentences are simply made into one and need to be split up.

Ex. My cat is crazy he jumps on anything that moves.

My cat is crazy! He jumps on anything that moves.

1. I need a good grade in physics if I don't pass it I will lose my scholarship.

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2. I don't believe in ghosts people who do are total idiots.

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3. I don't like the clothes that girl is wearing she totally looks like a man.

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You can also fix this sort of mistake by using a comma and a joining word like and,
but, for or so.

ex. I don't like snakes I hate spiders even more.

I don't like snakes, but I hate spiders even more.

1. Roberto needs exercise he walks four miles every day.

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2. Ecuadorians love soccer they don't understand baseball.

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3. Harold is unhealthy because he never exercises he spends hours on his

computer.

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One common mistake is to join two independent clauses with a comma. This results
in a run-on sentence. These can be fixed by changing the comma for a semicolon
and/or adding an appropriate word to join the clauses. Use a semicolon before the
transition and a comma after it. Here are some transitional words which can help
you fix run-on sentences.

Transitional Word Meaning

however But
nevertheless However
On the other hand However
instead In the place of
meanwhile At the same time
otherwise Under other conditions
indeed In fact
In addition Also
also More information
moreover In addition
furthermore In addition
As a result An effect from a cause
thus As a result
Consequently As a result
therefore As a result

ex. Christmas is my favorite holiday, I really love the decorations.

Christmas is my favorite holiday; I really love the decorations.

ex. Game of Thrones is the best show on TV, it is probably the best show ever.

Game of Thrones is the best show on TV; indeed, it is probably the best show ever.

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1. I don't like the taste of coffee, I drink Mountain Dew for the caffeine when I need
to wake up.

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2. Most Ecuadorians are very polite when they drive their cars they are
psychopaths.

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3. Pedro was talking on the phone to Anton, his dinner was burning on the stove.

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6). Very long sentences

"Look, having nuclearmy uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer,
Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton
School of Finance, very good, very smartyou know, if youre a conservative
Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would
say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the worldits true!but when
you're a conservative Republican they tryoh, do they do a numberthats why I
always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did
this, built a fortuneyou know I have to give my like credentials all the time,
because were a little disadvantagedbut you look at the nuclear deal, the thing
that really bothers meit would have been so easy, and its not as important as
these lives are (nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many
years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of
what's going to happen and he was rightwho would have thought?), but when you
look at what's going on with the four prisonersnow it used to be three, now its
fourbut when it was three and even now, I would have said it's all in the
messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don't, they havent
figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, its
gonna take them about another 150 yearsbut the Persians are great negotiators,
the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed
us."

-Donald Trump, July 2015.

Sometimes a sentence isn't a run-on technically, but it's too long anyway. A
sentence can have one or two clauses, and sometimes three, without a problem,
but any more than that is too many. Break such a sentence into smaller ones.

ex. My friend Bruce is really funny; he is always making jokes and telling really
hilarious stories and that is why everyone loves him except my other friend Jay who
really thinks Bruce is a jerk because this one time Bruce dropped an egg on Jay's
head from the science hallway at school.

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My friend Bruce is really funny; he is always making jokes and telling really
hilarious stories. That is why everyone, except my other friend Jay, loves him. Jay
thinks Bruce is a jerk because one time Bruce dropped an egg on Jay's head from
the science hallway at school.

1. I once knew a kid who could juggle five tennis balls; he was really good at it and
I asked him to teach me but he said he didn't have time so I asked him how he
learned and he told me that he had learned from watching Youtube videos and
practicing a lot so I asked him if I could learn that way and he said that heck, if he
could do it so could I.

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

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7). Avoiding Passive Voice

You should avoid using the passive voice whenever possible, as it is less effective
writing. When the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action and not the
performer of the action, you get passive voice. Change the following sentences into
active voice from passive voice.

ex. The car was crashed by my sister.

My sister crashed the car. _____

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

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2. My sunglasses were stolen by some jerkoff on the beach.

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3. That folder was left here by someone in the class before ours.

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8). Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Sometimes when you write, you misplace a modifying word (such as an adjective),
resulting in some confusion. These mistakes should be fixed, as they will cause your
reader to have to re-read your sentences in order to put the modifiers in the right
places. Consider the example below:

Example: Patrick can't ride his bicycle with a broken leg.

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So...the bicycle has a broken leg? Obviously, Patrick does, but the modifier with a
broken leg appears to modify the word bicycle here. It should be written
something like this:

With a broken leg, Patrick can't ride his bicycle.

Sometimes, the modifying phrase is at the beginning of the sentence. This can lead
to confusion if the modified word or phrase is not immediately after the modifier.

ex. Hiding under the porch, Juliana finally found her dog.

In this sentence, who is hiding? Is it the dog or Juliana? Presumably it's the dog, so
the sentence should read:

Juliana finally found her dog hiding under the porch.

Fix the following sentences by putting the modifiers where they belong.

1. I saw several sharks snorkeling off of Isabela Island.

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2. Clawing and spitting, Joe took the cat to the veterinarian.

_________________________________________________________________

3. Yoshida brushed his teeth after eating a ham sandwich with toothpaste.

_________________________________________________________________

4. Frank wrote his speech while traveling from Quito to Guayaquil on the back of an
envelope.

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5. Ed nearly sent out twenty job applications last week.

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6. The policemen chased after the bear in the squad car.

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7. We saw several monkeys, an anaconda and a caiman on vacation in the Amazon.

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9). Wordiness and Announcements

Two things that we should avoid in our writing is wordiness and announcements.
Wordiness is the use of too many words or redundant ideas in our sentences. It can
take the form of useless introductions like It should be obvious that... or

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sentences that are deliberately long, verbose and confusing, when a simpler version
could do the trick.

ex. Leto dropped out of school on account of the fact that he didn't like his
classes.

Leto dropped out of school because he didn't like his classes.

Announcements are similar in the sense that they are needless and redundant.
These are very common and look like this: In this essay, I will discuss... These
sorts of sentences should be eliminated. You can replace them with a brief topic
sentence of sorts.

In this paragraph, I will discuss the pros and cons of banning assault weapons.

There are several pros and cons to banning assault weapons.

Fix the following wordy and announcement sentences:

1. In this composition, we will consider whether it's a good idea to drill in Yasuni or
not.

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2. It was easy to see that the boulevard was home to many lodging establishments.

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3. In our company, we pride ourselves on being a company that values individual

accomplishment as well as group work within the company framework.

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4. It is obvious that Ecuador needs tougher driving laws because of the bad drivers
that live there.

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5. The brewery where they make beer is located near the river.

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6. In this essay, I will write about how the Galapagos Islands animals need more
governmental protection from the government which is not doing enough to save
them.

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10). Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are important and often misused. Remember, punctuation goes
inside quotes. In your writing, you should use quotation marks in the following
situations:

To set off the specific words of a speaker or writer

To indicate titles of short works
To set off special words or phrases from the rest of a sentence
To indicate a quotation within a quotation
Quotation marks are used in MLA format of bibliographies to indicate short
works, chapters, poems, etc.

Longer works, like the name of a movie, novel or TV show should be italicized.

Examples:

Benjamin Franklin said, It takes many good deeds to build a good

reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.
John Steinbeck's novels include Of Mice and Men and his short stories include
the Promise.
What does caliphate mean?
Dave said, When I asked him about it, he said, You worry too much.

Assignment: The following sentences are lacking quotation marks. Put

them in where they are needed.

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Polonius says this above all: to thine own self be true.

My favorite poem is Edgar Allen Poe's the Raven.

On the webpage flooding devastates parts of West Virginia, the writer says The
governor has declared a state of emergency in 44 of 54 counties.

Around the world, happy birthday is the most-sung song.

The bumper sticker on the car said my kid can beat up your honor student.

I don't know, Mike said. It looks pretty dangerous.

For homework, read chapter twelve the History of Ireland.

The Return of the King is Dennis' favorite movie.

Frank said Donnie was very specific when he said don't open that box.

Direct vs. Indirect quotes

A direct quote is when someone's exact words are repeated, and they require the
use of quotation marks. Indirect quotes do not repeat someone's exact words, but
rather summarize the gist of what someone said. Indirect quotes do not need
quotation marks.

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Example:

Old Man Gomez said, Hey you damn kids! Get off of my lawn! (direct
quote).
Old Man Gomez shouted at the kids, telling them to get off of his lawn.
(indirect quote)

Assignment: Change the direct quotes to indirect quotes in the following

sentences.

Mayra said, Neil Gaiman is my favorite author.

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Keiran couldn't have been more clear: I expect you guys to return my car in one
piece!

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This place, said Mickey, certainly looks haunted.

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Now, change the indirect quotes to direct quotes.

Mark said that he lost his keys.

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Officer Prague testified in court that he saw the suspect fleeing the convenience
store.

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Derek asked me if he could borrow one of my books, Dune.

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11) Commas

Comma mistakes are among the most common for students. There are six
situations in which it is necessary to use commas:

To mark off items in a series

To set off an introductory phrase
To set apart words that interrupt a sentence
When joining two clauses with and, but, for, no, nor, so and yet.
To indicate a direct quotation
For certain common things like dates and names

Note: Commas go inside other punctuation, such as quotation marks.

Wrong: I have to go now, Mark said.

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Right: I have to go now, Mark said.

Examples:

At the store, I need to buy grapes, eggs, milk and butter.

Before class starts, make sure you have the homework ready.
The shantytown, populated by hungry refugees, was visited by
representatives of the government.
I want a vanilla ice cream cone, and my friend will have chocolate.
Abby said, I think it's time we left.
On June 15, 2017, classes will resume.

Activity: place commas in the following sentences when needed.

Lenny lives by his motto "Never let a day go by without doing something nice."

Some of the countries in South America are Ecuador Chile Argentina Brazil and
Uruguay.

My telephone a Samsung has many features I like.

Denise can we come in?

"This morning" said the president of the USA "I gave the order to bomb Ecuador
because they drive like maniacs."

If we throw the party we should invite Margaret Sam Phil and Gerd.

After the tornado the survivors looked for keepsakes in the rubble.

12). Numbers

Here are some general rules for numbers in your work.

If the number can be expressed in one or two words, write it out. If it is

three or more words, use the numeral.

Ex. The ninja knew twenty-four ways to kill someone with only a rolled-up
magazine.

However, he knew 385 ways to kill someone with a kitchen spatula.

If there are two or more numbers in a sentence, and some are two words or
less and others are three words or more, use the numerals.

Ex. The ninja also knew 12 ways to kill someone with a can of Coca-cola and 493
ways to kill someone with a pair of pliers.

Use numerals for common things like street addresses, time and dates.

Ex. Michael lives at 6 Mulberry Drive.

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Ex. Jasons Birthday is January 8.

Ex. The meeting began at 11:00 A.M.

If you start a sentence with a number, write it out, unless it makes the
sentence awkward, in which case you should re-write the sentence to put the
number later.

Ex. Three hundred and seventy people have won more than $1 million in the Florida
Lottery since 2004.

Bad Example: Ninety-four thousand, six hundred and forty-five people attended the
Penn State-Wisconsin football game.

Instead: The Wisconsin-Penn State football game was attended by 94,645 people.

Note: calendar years go in numerals, even at the beginning of a sentence.

Ex. 2016 was the worst year ever because David Bowie and Alan Rickman both
died.

For decimals, use numerals. Simple fractions should be written out in

numerals and hyphenated.

Ex. Marios grade point average is 3.17.

Ex. I would guess that two-thirds of the people at the concert were under the age
of forty.

Generally, use numerals with money. One exception is when the sum is less
than one dollar.

Ex. Tacos cost $3 each.

Ex. Kyle only had eighty-five cents in his pocket. (not Kyle had only $0.85 in his
pocket)

Exercise: Fix the following sentences.

I have 5 older brothers.

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4,543 animals are considered endangered worldwide.

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13. Vocabulary Practice 1

Assignment: Read the passage. It is the beginning of Chapter 12 of The War of the
Worlds by H. G. Wells. Identify ten words that you are unfamiliar with or not certain
of their meaning and write them at the end. Then, use the internet to look up their
definitions.

As the dawn grew brighter we withdrew from the window from which we had
watched the Martians, and went very quietly downstairs.

The artilleryman agreed with me that the house was no place to stay in. He
proposed, he said, to make his way Londonward, and thence rejoin his battery--No.
12, of the Horse Artillery. My plan was to return at once to Leatherhead; and so
greatly had the strength of the Martians impressed me that I had determined to
take my wife to Newhaven, and go with her out of the country forthwith. For I
already perceived clearly that the country about London must inevitably be the
scene of a disastrous struggle before such creatures as these could be destroyed.

Between us and Leatherhead, however, lay the third cylinder, with its guarding
giants. Had I been alone, I think I should have taken my chance and struck across
country. But the artilleryman dissuaded me: "It's no kindness to the right sort of
wife," he said, "to make her a widow;" and in the end I agreed to go with him,
under cover of the woods, northward as far as Street Cobham before I parted with
him. Thence I would make a big detour by Epsom to reach Leatherhead.

I should have started at once, but my companion had been in active service and he
knew better than that. He made me ransack the house for a flask, which he filled
with whiskey; and we lined every available pocket with packets of biscuits and
slices of meat. Then we crept out of the house, and ran as quickly as we could
down the ill-made road by which I had come overnight. The houses seemed
deserted. In the road lay a group of three charred bodies close together, struck
dead by the Heat-Ray; and here and there were things that people had dropped--a
clock, a slipper, a silver spoon, and the like poor valuables. At the corner turning up
towards the post office a little cart, filled with boxes and furniture, and horseless,
heeled over on a broken wheel. A cash box had been hastily smashed open and
thrown under the debris.

Except the lodge at the Orphanage, which was still on fire, none of the houses had
suffered very greatly here. The Heat-Ray had shaved the chimney tops and passed.
Yet, save ourselves, there did not seem to be a living soul on Maybury Hill. The
majority of the inhabitants had escaped, I suppose, by way of the Old Woking road-
-the road I had taken when I drove to Leatherhead--or they had hidden.

We went down the lane, by the body of the man in black, sodden now from the
overnight hail, and broke into the woods at the foot of the hill. We pushed through
these towards the railway without meeting a soul. The woods across the line were
but the scarred and blackened ruins of woods; for the most part the trees had

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fallen, but a certain proportion still stood, dismal grey stems, with dark brown
foliage instead of green.

On our side the fire had done no more than scorch the nearer trees; it had failed to
secure its footing. In one place the woodmen had been at work on Saturday; trees,
felled and freshly trimmed, lay in a clearing, with heaps of sawdust by the sawing-
machine and its engine. Hard by was a temporary hut, deserted. There was not a
breath of wind this morning, and everything was strangely still. Even the birds were
hushed, and as we hurried along I and the artilleryman talked in whispers and
looked now and again over our shoulders. Once or twice we stopped to listen.

After a time we drew near the road, and as we did so we heard the clatter of hoofs
and saw through the tree stems three cavalry soldiers riding slowly towards
Woking. We hailed them, and they halted while we hurried towards them. It was a
lieutenant and a couple of privates of the 8th Hussars, with a stand like a
theodolite, which the artilleryman told me was a heliograph.

Words and definitions

14. Vocabulary Practice 2

One way to make your writing better is to improve your vocabulary. Some of the
words that are most often overused in English also have many useful synonyms.
These are often better and more specific.

Overused word: interesting

Replace the word interesting in the following sentences with one of the following
words: compelling, striking, refreshing, remarkable.

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My grandmother has traveled the world and speaks four languages: she is truly an
(interesting) ______________ woman.

The writer of the article has an (interesting) ___________ new take on the
possibility of changing the election process.

The most (interesting) ___________ painting I have ever seen is Picasso's

Guernica.

Mike makes an (interesting) ________________ argument for going fishing instead

of going to see a movie.

Overused word: nice

Replace the word nice in the following sentences with one of the following words:
enjoyable, courteous, attractive, delicious.

Jake's mom made us a very (nice) ______________ meal.

We all had a (nice) ___________ time at the party.

Jennifer has a (nice) ___________ smile.

I didn't think Henry was very (nice) _______________ to your friends.

Overused word: big

Replace the word big in the following sentences with one of the following words:
substantial, spacious, immense, enormous.

The (big) ____________ elephant dwarfed the handlers in its cage.

The hotel room was (big) _____________ and well-decorated.

We found the road blocked by a pile of mud and a (big) __________ boulder which
had fallen onto it.

The store is offering (big) ______________ discounts for returning customers.

Overused word: good

Replace the word good in the following sentences with one of the following words:
marvelous, delicious, astonishing, outstanding.

I had a (good) ______________ sandwich at the restaurant.

The soccer player scored on a (good) _______________ header.

I thought the special effects in the movie were (good) _______________.

Thanks for having us over. We had a (good) _______________ time.

Some other overused words: amazing, awesome, awful, bad, beautiful, fine, great,
happy, look, quite, really, said, so, well.

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The word very is often overused. If you're using the word very along with an
adjective, chances are that there is a better, more specific word that you could be
using. Replace the very phrase in the sentences below with words from the list at
the end.

I was (very tired) ______________ after two hours exercising in the gym.

Pete's girlfriend is (very pretty) _____________________.

I am (very afraid) ______________ of spiders.

Although the magician made the trick look (very easy) _____________, we were
(very confused) ________________ when we tried to figure out how he did it.

Professor Minster is (very mean) _________________ to his students.

Geovanny is always saying (very rude) ____________ things.

The funeral consisted of a (very serious) _______________ church service and the
burial itself.

The proposition's supporters wee (very happy) ____________ when the measure
passed.

I am (very busy) _______________ with work this week.

The (very cute) _____________ kitten ran away from the (very big)
______________ dog.

Haiti is a (very poor) _________________ nation.

I was (very hungry) ________________ after the game.

Sara was (very unhappy) _________________ when her boyfriend broke up with
her.

When we got our dog, Rex, from the pound, he was (very skinny)
_______________ and (very nervous) _________________.

When Patrick was pulled from the lake, he was (very cold) _____________ and
(very wet) _____________.

Working in the garage was (very boring) ___________.

words: vulgar, gorgeous, frozen, skeletal, distraught, adorable, baffled, soaked,

swamped, tedious, terrified, impoverished, solemn, famished, skittish, exhausted,
cruel, jubilant, effortless, massive

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 Outlining

Outlining is an important part of the writing process. A good outline will save you
time and effort. An outline allows you to organize your thoughts before you sit
down to write. It helps you avoid repetition. Most outlines are informally made and
meant to be discarded once used.

There are many ways to format an outline. In this class, we will use a simple
alternating number/letter format. I will expect all outlines turned in for this class to
follow this format. Your outlines should look like this:

I. (Roman Numerals) These indicate major structural sections of your

writing.
A. (Capital Letter) Main Point
1. (Standard Numeral) Supporting idea
a. (Lower Case Letter) Detail or example of supporting idea
(1) (Standard Numeral in Parentheses) specific detail or
information

Sample Outline

The El Tajn Archaeological site

I. Introduction: What is El Tajn

A. What is El Tajn
1. Archaeological site, Veracruz
2. Apogee 800-1200 A.D.
B. Very Important Historical site and Tourism Attraction

II. Body: Three Main Areas of the Ruin Complex

A. The Arroyo Group
1. South end of the ruin complex
a. Near the entrance
2. Made up of buildings 16, 18, 19 and 20 and the plaza they created
a. Building 16
(1). At north end of Plaza
(2). Has niches like Building 1
(3). North face borders on a ballcourt
b. Buildings 18 and 20
(1). Look very similar
(2). East and west sides of plaza
c. Building 19
B. The Main Ceremonial Area
1. North of the Arroyo Group but south of Tajin Chico
2. Several Ballcourts
a. South Ballcourt
(1). Most important one
(2). Famous carvings of ballplayers
3. Pyramid of the Niches

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 a. Emblematic building of El Tajin
b. 356 Niches
c. First to be Discovered and excavated
C. Tajin Chico
1. On a hill to the north overlooking the rest of the site
2. Once a residential area for the city's elite
3. Building of the Columns
a. Once a palace
b. Three great columns
(1). Columns now in on-site museum
4. Building I
a. famous for the paintings that have survived there

III. Conclusion
A. Great Place to Visit
B. Hours, location, etc.

Outlining Assignment 1

An outline has been prepared for you for a short, four-paragraph piece. The
structure is given, as are the entries. Put the entries back where they belong! Note
that the missing phrases have been provided to you.

Celebrating Fourth of July

I. Introduction
A.
B. How do Americans Celebrate the Fourth
C.
II.
A. Fourth of July Food
1. Barbecue
a.
b. Hot dogs
c. Sausages
2. Salads
a. Pasta Salad
b.
a. Make potato salad one day ahead
b.
3. Drinks
a. Beer
b.
c. Lemonade
B.

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 1. Fireworks
a. Often sponsored by local governments
b.
c. Bring bug spray
2. Parties
a.
b. Invite people by June
3. Outdoor Games
a.
b. Badminton
(1) Badminton and Volleyball can often use the same net
c. Bocce
d.
III. Conclusion
A. An important part of US culture
B.

Missing words and Phrases:

Potato Salad
Volleyball
Friends, neighbors, co-workers
Soft Drinks
What is Fourth of July
Take place at dusk
Is a good vegetarian option
Croquet
Hamburgers
Fourth of July Customs
Main Body: Fourth of July Food and Customs
Celebrated by Americans wherever they are
A Quote by Thomas Jefferson

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Outlining Assignment 2:

Imagine that you are going to write a short, five-paragraph essay on the topic
Advice for new students to USFQ. DO NOT WRITE THE ESSAY. Just write the
outline and turn it in using the format specified by your instructor. Here are some
tips and pointers:

Break your essay down into three main parts: introduction, body and
conclusion, and list them with Roman numerals.
Give three sound pieces of advice for new students entering USFQ.
Start general with your advice, and then get specific in the details. For
example, a general piece of advice might be Dont try and do too much.
Add specific details might be Dont schedule more than six classes per
semester and Its best not to have a side job while youre studying. (and a
sub-detail of that would be because it will take up too much time.)
Look over your outline once youre done. Did you repeat yourself? Did the
outline help you organize your thoughts?

20
How to Read, Part One: A Factual Article
Biography of Eloy Alfaro

Before You read the article, ask yourself the following questions:

Youre about to click on an article about Eloy Alfaro, former President of Ecuador.
Why are you doing so? Obviously, this is homework for your class, but if you were
not doing this for homework, why might you click on a title like this one? Give three
possible reasons.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

The article is clearly written in English, because of the title. Do you have any
feelings about this? Is a biography of an Ecuadorian president better in English or
Spanish or does it not matter?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

What do you already know about Eloy Alfaro, even before you read the article?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

What sorts of things do you think you will read in the article? Do you think there
will be something you do not already know?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Reading the Introduction

Read the introduction to the article:

Eloy Alfaro Delgado was President of the Republic of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and
again from 1906 to 1911. Although widely reviled by conservatives at the time, today he
is considered by Ecuadorians to be one of their greatest presidents. He accomplished
many things during his administrations, most notably the construction of a railroad
linking Quito and Guayaquil.

21
What sort of information will the article cover?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Will the article be interesting, informative, or both?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Reading the Article

Now read the entire article, following the link provided by the instructor. As you
read, think about the questions you had before you started. Does the article answer
them? Does it leave any of your questions unanswered?

After Reading

Did the article answer the questions you had?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

How is the article structured? What did the writer put first, last, etc.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

What sorts of things did the author NOT include in this article?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Think back to the reasons why you might click on an article like this one. What if
you were doing research for a project? Would this article be helpful or not?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

22
How to Read, Part Two: An Editorial
Assignment #2: The Country that Stopped Reading

Before you Read:

The title of the article is "The Country that Stopped Reading." Before you read it,
what do you think the article will be about? What sort of article - informative,
persuasive, etc. do you think it will be? What country might it be? What sorts of
points might the article make?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Do you read much? What sorts of things? Does your status as someone who reads
a lot or not much at all affect your opinion of the article before you even read it? Do
you have a positive or negative expectation of the article? Is this linked to your
personal experience?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Reading the Introduction

Read the following introduction to the article:

EARLIER this week, I spotted, among the job listings in the newspaper Reforma, an ad
from a restaurant in Mexico City looking to hire dishwashers. The requirement: a
secondary school diploma.

Years ago, school was not for everyone. Classrooms were places for discipline, study.
Teachers were respected figures. Parents actually gave them permission to punish their
children by slapping them or tugging their ears. But at least in those days, schools aimed
to offer a more dignified life.

Nowadays more children attend school than ever before, but they learn much less. They
learn almost nothing. The proportion of the Mexican population that is literate is going
up, but in absolute numbers, there are more illiterate people in Mexico now than there
were 12 years ago. Even if baseline literacy, the ability to read a street sign or news

23
 bulletin, is rising, the practice of reading an actual book is not. Once a reasonably well-
educated country, Mexico took the penultimate spot, out of 108 countries, in a UNESCO
assessment of reading habits a few years ago.

One cannot help but ask the Mexican educational system, How is it possible that I hand
over a child for six hours every day, five days a week, and you give me back someone
who is basically illiterate?

How does the author begin the article? Is this interesting to you and relevant to the
article in general?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What anecdotal evidence does the author include in the introduction? What hard
evidence does he include?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Where is the author going with this article? What sorts of arguments and evidence
do you expect to see?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Do you think you'll agree with the author when he makes his final point? Are you
positively or negatively inclined towards the article at this point?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

24
Turns out the article is about Mexico, and obviously, we do not live there. Will this
article have some relevant points or information for Ecuador? Why do you think so,
or not think so?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

While You Read the Article

The article is reproduced in its entirety after this assignment. As you read, mark up
the document. Circle main points, underline interesting statements, write questions
next to it, draw happy faces, etc. Go crazy! Interact with the document and make
your own notes.

As you read, try and answer the following questions:

What are the main points?

What evidence is used to back up the main points?
What is the author's point of view?
Do you agree with the author's point of view? Does your agreeing or not with
him affect your reading of the article?
Is this article relevant for you?

After you Read the Article

After you have read the article and marked it up, answer the following questions:

Is the article about what you thought it was about? How was it different? How did
your opinion of the article change as you read it?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Look at your notes that you wrote on the article itself. What did you
circle/underling/highlight? What notes did you make? Was it useful to mark up the
document?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

25
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The author of this piece has a clear agenda. What is it? How does he accomplish his
goal? What sorts of rhetorical tricks does he use?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Is the piece effective and well-written? How can you tell if it is or is not?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The author makes a point about his society, that it is bad for Mexico when students
cant/dont/wont read books. Do you agree? Is the same thing true in Ecuador?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The Country That Stopped Reading

By DAVID TOSCANA

MARCH 5, 2013

EARLIER this week, I spotted, among the job listings in the newspaper Reforma, an ad from a
restaurant in Mexico City looking to hire dishwashers. The requirement: a secondary school
diploma.

Years ago, school was not for everyone. Classrooms were places for discipline, study. Teachers
were respected figures. Parents actually gave them permission to punish their children by
slapping them or tugging their ears. But at least in those days, schools aimed to offer a more
dignified life.

26
Nowadays more children attend school than ever before, but they learn much less. They learn
almost nothing. The proportion of the Mexican population that is literate is going up, but in
absolute numbers, there are more illiterate people in Mexico now than there were 12 years ago.
Even if baseline literacy, the ability to read a street sign or news bulletin, is rising, the practice of
reading an actual book is not. Once a reasonably well-educated country, Mexico took the
penultimate spot, out of 108 countries, in a UNESCO assessment of reading habits a few years
ago.

One cannot help but ask the Mexican educational system, How is it possible that I hand over a
child for six hours every day, five days a week, and you give me back someone who is basically
illiterate?

Despite recent gains in industrial development and increasing numbers of engineering graduates,
Mexico is floundering socially, politically and economically because so many of its citizens do
not read. Upon taking office in December, our new president, Enrique Pea Nieto, immediately
announced a program to improve education. This is typical. All presidents do this upon taking
office.

The first step in his plan to improve education? Put the leader of the teachers union, Elba Esther
Gordillo, in jail which he did last week. Ms. Gordillo, who has led the 1.5 million-member
union for 23 years, is suspected of embezzling about $200 million.

She ought to be behind bars, but education reform with a focus on teachers instead of students is
nothing new. For many years now, the job of the education secretary has been not to educate
Mexicans but to deal with the teachers and their labor issues. Nobody in Mexico organizes as
many strikes as the teachers union. And, sadly, many teachers, who often buy or inherit their
jobs, are lacking in education themselves.

During a strike in 2008 in Oaxaca, I remember walking through the temporary campground in
search of a teacher reading a book. Among tens of thousands, I found not one. I did find people
listening to disco-decibel music, watching television, playing cards or dominoes, vegetating. I
saw some gossip magazines, too.

So I shouldnt have been surprised by the response when I spoke at a recent event for promoting
reading for an audience of 300 or so 14- and 15-year-olds. Who likes to read? I asked. Only
one hand went up in the auditorium. I picked out five of the ignorant majority and asked them to
tell me why they didnt like reading. The result was predictable: they stuttered, grumbled, grew
impatient. None was able to articulate a sentence, express an idea.

Frustrated, I told the audience to just leave the auditorium and go look for a book to read. One of
their teachers walked up to me, very concerned. We still have 40 minutes left, he said. He
asked the kids to sit down again, and began to tell them a fable about a plant that couldnt decide
if it wanted to be a flower or a head of cabbage.

Sir, I whispered, that story is for kindergartners.

27
In 2002, President Vicente Fox began a national reading plan; he chose as a spokesman Jorge
Campos, a popular soccer player, ordered millions of books printed and built an immense library.
Unfortunately, teachers were not properly trained and children were not given time for reading in
school. The plan focused on the book instead of the reader. I have seen warehouses filled with
hundreds of thousands of forgotten books, intended for schools and libraries, simply waiting for
the dust and humidity to render them garbage.

A few years back, I spoke with the education secretary of my home state, Nuevo Len, about
reading in schools. He looked at me, not understanding what I wanted. In school, children are
taught to read, he said. Yes, I replied, but they dont read. I explained the difference
between knowing how to read and actually reading, between deciphering street signs and
accessing the literary canon. He wondered what the point of the students reading Don Quixote
was. He said we needed to teach them to read the newspaper.

When my daughter was 15, her literature teacher banished all fiction from her classroom. Were
going to read history and biology textbooks, she said, because that way youll read and learn at
the same time. In our schools, children are being taught what is easy to teach rather than what
they need to learn. It is for this reason that in Mexico and many other countries the
humanities have been pushed aside.

We have turned schools into factories that churn out employees. With no intellectual challenges,
students can advance from one level to the next as long as they attend class and surrender to their
teachers. In this light it is natural that in secondary school we are training chauffeurs, waiters and
dishwashers.

This is not just about better funding. Mexico spends more than 5 percent of its gross domestic
product on education about the same percentage as the United States. And its not about
pedagogical theories and new techniques that look for shortcuts. The educational machine does
not need fine-tuning; it needs a complete change of direction. It needs to make students read,
read and read.

But perhaps the Mexican government is not ready for its people to be truly educated. We know
that books give people ambitions, expectations, a sense of dignity. If tomorrow we were to wake
up as educated as the Finnish people, the streets would be filled with indignant citizens and our
frightened government would be asking itself where these people got more than a dishwashers
training.

Exemplification Paragraph

When writing, you should always use good exemplification: this means writing clear
paragraphs by using clear, real-life examples. The clearer you can be, the better.
Here's an example:

Okay: After returning from vacation, we found that pests had gotten into our
house.

28
Better: After returning from vacation, we found that rats and roaches had gotten
into our house.

Best: When we returned from Disneyland in late May, we found roaches in the
pantry and rats in the basement of our house.

Okay: Some students were there and they looked bored.

Better: There were some high school students in the gym: they looked like they
didnt want to be there.

Best: Several teenage students sulked on the gymnasium bleachers: they were
popping their chewing gum and disinterestedly staring at their cel phones; one
student had pulled his cap over his eyes and appeared to be asleep.

In a paragraph with good exemplification, you should have three clear, detailed
examples. Here's an example:

Many modern religions still place unreasonable restrictions on women. In the

church of latter-day saints (Mormons) women are not allowed to become
priests, and Kate Kelly, a Mormon woman, was excommunicated by the
church in 2014 for suggesting that they should be. In strict Muslim areas
such as Saudi Arabia, women must wear a full hijab which covers their whole
body, and each woman must have a male "guardian" who makes most of her
decisions for her, including whom she'll marry. If a woman belongs to the
Jehovah's Witness religion, she is not even allowed to wear pants to church-
related events!

Practice: You will be given a topic sentence. Write three good, detailed, specific
examples which illustrate the topic.

Topic: Australia is a great place for Latin Americans to go and learn English.

1.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

29
3.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Topic: Taking the bus to USFQ is a better option than driving every day.

1.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Topic: USFQ offers much more to its students than just taking classes (think clubs,
sports, events, etc).

1.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Topic: Buying food at the market is better than going to Supermaxi.

1.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

30
2.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Topic: Cel phones have changed peoples lives drastically from thirty years ago.

1.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Topic: Parents treat sons and daughters differently.

1.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Sample Paragraph: In most respects, after all, Woodstock was a disaster. To begin
with, it rained and rained for weeks before the festival, and then, of course, it rained
during the festival. The promoters lost weeks of preparation time when the site had

31
 to be switched twice. They rented Yasgurs field less than a month before the
concert. The stage wasnt finished, and the sound system was stitched together
perilously close to the start of the show. As soon as the festival opened, the water-
and food-delivery arrangements broke down, the gates and fences disintegrated,
and tens of thousands of new bodies kept pouring in. (One powerful lure was the
rumor that the revered Bob Dylan was going to perform; he wasnt.) In response to
an emergency appeal for volunteers, fifty doctors were flown in. The Air Force
brought in food on Huey helicopters, and the Womens Community Center in
Monticello sent thirty thousand sandwiches. One kid was killed as he was run over
by a tractor, one died of appendicitis, and another died of a drug overdose.

Hal Espen, The Woodstock Wars

Questions:

The exemplification sentences in this paragraph illustrate what important

statement?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The writer does NOT write vague statements, but rather specific ones. Instead of
writing They had to make arrangements to get food, what does he write?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

And instead of writing three kids died at the concert, what does he write?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Writing your exemplification paragraph:

For your own exemplification paragraph, pick one of the following topics:

1. The school library has many resources to help students succeed.

2. It is difficult for college students to manage their time adequately.

3. It's harder to be a teenager now than it was thirty years ago.

Once you have selected your topic, write a good exemplification paragraph. It
should be 5-8 sentences long, have a clear topic sentence, and three clear, specific
examples to prove your point.

Turn your paragraph in on D2L in the dropbox provided.

32
Cause and Effect Paragraph

Cause and Effect is another common structure for paragraphs and essays. It
describes things such as actions and events in terms of their importance as a
reason for or consequence of something else. People relate to this sort of writing
because they tend to see the world in terms of this sort of relationship.

There are different ways to structure a cause/effect paragraph. You could start with
the cause and list effects:

When alcohol was outlawed in the USA in 1919, some of the effects were an
increase in crime, greater corruption in police forces and the creation of clandestine
distilleries all over the nation.

You can start with the effect and list the causes:

The rising influence of temperance unions, the fact that beer was considered un-
American and the common idea that alcohol was to blame for society's problems led
to the prohibition of alcohol in the USA in 1919.

Or, you can consider causes and effects as a chain reaction:

In the early 20th century, the rising influence of temperance unions caused the
USA to ban alcohol entirely by 1919. This, in turn, caused the alcohol industry of
producers, transporters, vendors and drinkers to go underground, creating a boom
in organized crime.

Practice: Fill in the blanks with causes or effects:

Cause: The University raised tuition costs

Effect: _____________________________________________________________

Effect: _____________________________________________________________

Effect: _____________________________________________________________

Cause: My friend Alicia decided to move to Cuenca

Effect: _____________________________________________________________

Effect: _____________________________________________________________

Effect: _____________________________________________________________

Effect: There are fewer Ecuadorians traveling to the USA these days

Cause: ____________________________________________________________

Cause: ____________________________________________________________

Cause: ____________________________________________________________

33
Effect: Our food bill was higher than usual this month

Cause: ____________________________________________________________

Cause: ____________________________________________________________

Cause: ____________________________________________________________

Reading: Consider the following cause and effect paragraph and answer the
questions that follow:

Smoking has many serious effects. The most obvious effect is the deterioration of a
smoker's health. Smoking increases the risk of lung disease, increases blood pressure,
increases the risk of heart attacks, and reduces the flow of oxygen to the brain. Smoking
creates respiratory problems. A smoker's cough expels phlegm, a thick mucus in the nose
and the throat that wants to escape the body. Prolonged use may lead to emphysema and
the need to hook up to a machine to pump enough oxygen into the lungs. Another effect
of this habit is that smoking breeds halitosis; a smoker's breath always smells foul and
repulsive. Smoking frequently results in social isolation because fewer people smoke or
want to be in the presence of a second-hand smoke. Friends and acquaintances often
bluntly tell their smoking friends that they don't want the smell in their cars or in their
homes. The strong, offensive odor of smoke clings to smokers' clothing, hair, and skin.
The final effect of smoking is that is depletes the pocketbook. Smoking is now an
expensive habit, and the price of cigarettes continues to rise. The effects of smoking are
many, which leaves one wondering why intelligent people do not find a way to break
their harmful addition.
What is the structure of this paragraph? Is it one cause leading to many effects,
one effect with several causes, or is it a chain reaction?

__________________________________________________________________

The writer goes into great detail when giving the reasons why smoking is bad for
you. What three reasons does the writer give for smoking causing social isolation?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The final sentence is a conclusion of sorts which leaves us with a parting thought.
What is the parting thought?

__________________________________________________________________

34
Cause and Effect Transition Words

We are quite familiar with words and phrases that indicate a cause and effect
relationship. Fill in the following blanks with cause and effect transition words.

May 24 is a holiday; _________________ we do not have to go to work.

I went to Medellin last week ________________________ to meet with some

people there.

Marks not here today ___________________________________ a little sick.

___________________________________, Frank will have to go look for a job.

__________________________ Adriana has trained at high altitude for several

weeks, she is ready to try and climb Cotopaxi.

The Cause and Effect Chain

Practice making a cause and effect chain. Fill in the blanks below with a chain of
events in which effect becomes cause, which then become effect, etc. Your chain
should have at least six links. One has been done for you:

My friend broke his leg playing soccer.

As a result, he could not drive for several weeks.

Because he could not drive, he let me use his car.

With a car, it was easier for me to get to university.

I started getting to classes early.

My grades improved greatly!

Your chain:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

35
Assignment: Write a cause/effect paragraph and turn it in on D2L by the date
specified by your instructor. Be sure to use good exemplification! Choose one of the
following two topics:

Why are more students taking online courses?

Why do some college students cheat in their classes?

Process Paragraph

A process paragraph is one which describes (not surprisingly) a process or series of

steps to accomplish something. Typical examples might be: how to plan a birthday
party for a kid, how to cook shrimp scampi, what is the procedure for registering for
classes, etc. In many ways, it is similar to a narrative paragraph, because the
events listed must be in the proper order, but the difference is that a narrative
takes place in the past, whereas a process takes place in the future.

Read the following paragraph and answer the questions which come after.

Finding a reliable used car at an affordable price requires both planning and persistence. A
good starting point is narrowing down the type of car you want or need. Be realistic. You
may envision yourself cruising around town in a little convertible, but that wont leave
much room for the kids and dogs. Once youve settled on the basic vehicle, do some
research to find out which vehicles have good reliability ratings. Web sites like J.D. Power
or Consumer Reports can help you pick out the high maintenance turkeys. The next step is
finding the model you are looking for. Used car lots will give you an idea of price, but they
can be expensive and are full of used car salesmen. Check your local paper, car buyers
magazines and the internet. When you finally track down what looks like the perfect car,
the last step is the test drive and inspection. If the car drives well and looks good, arrange
to have your mechanic inspect it. Never omit this step. After your mechanic gives the car
the OK, all thats left is to haggle over the price.

Which is the topic sentence? Underline it.

There are four steps in the process of buying a used car, according to this
paragraph. What are they?

1. _____________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________________

Who is this paragraph intended for? Is the advice sound?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

36
Process paragraphs need to be specific about the order of things. To do this, youll
use signifier words like first, next, then, after, etc. Circle the time signifier words in
the paragraph.

This paragraph does a good job of providing clear, solid examples to the various
steps in the process. What is the example provided for the step about choosing the
vehicle that is best for you, in your own words?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Practice: Imagine you are writing a process paragraph about how to make a pitcher
of lemonade. Fill in the blanks with good steps and examples. The first step has
been done for you.

Topic Sentence: On a hot summer day, there is nothing as refreshing as a pitcher

of fresh lemonade, which is really easy to make.

Step #1:

First, pick out ten lemons and cut them in half width-wise.

Example: The lemons should be fresh and juicy; old, dry lemons will make a poor
lemonade.

Second, _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Example:
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Third, _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Example:
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Finally, _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Example:
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

37
Process paragraph assignment: Write a process paragraph on one of the following
topics. It should have at least four steps, with good examples. Keep it under ten
sentences maximum. Turn it in according to your teachers instructions.

How to wash a car

How to ask someone for a date
How to install an app on your phone or tablet

Description Paragraph

Descriptive writing is the use of words to conjure images for the senses: sight,
sound, smell, etc. Descriptive writing is used frequently by writers of fiction to
create ambience and put the reader into the world he/she is trying to create.

Read the following paragraph, from Robert E. Howards Solomon Kane story Rattle
of Bones.

The maniac was standing partly in the doorway of the secret room, now, his weapon still
menacing Kane. Suddenly he seemed to topple backward, and vanished in the darkness;
and at the same instant a vagrant gust of wind swept down the outer corridor and slammed
the door shut behind him. The candle on the wall flickered and went out. Kane's groping
hands, sweeping over the floor, found a pistol, and he straightened, facing the door where
the maniac had vanished. He stood in the utter darkness, his blood freezing, while a hideous
muffled screaming came from the secret room, intermingled with the dry, grisly rattle of
fleshless bones. Then silence fell.

What are some of the words that leap out at you for their descriptive ability?

______________________________________________________________

Could you imagine in your mind the action as it happened in this paragraph?
Describe some of the images that came into your head.

______________________________________________________________

The key to descriptive writing is to avoid vague words and ideas, replacing them
with specifics. Note that Howard did NOT write Kane could hear the maniacs
screams in the darkness, he wrote a hideous muffled screaming came from the
secret room. These descriptions help the reader imagine the action.

Consider the following examples:

WRONG: It was a beautiful, pleasant day and the students were happy.

38
RIGHT: The sun shone brightly in a clear sky, and the quad soon filled with
students who eagerly stripped down to their t-shirts and lounged on the soft grass
between the walkways.

Why its better: Words like beautiful, pleasant and happy are subjective. Are all
beautiful days sunny and warm? Maybe I like my days cool and overcast!

WRONG: The kids bedroom was messy.

RIGHT: The walls of the young boys room were haphazardly plastered with
posters of vampires and robots, and a small trail of green carpet led between the
piles of cheap plastic action figures to an unmade bed nearly buried by Star Wars
pillows and ratty stuffed animals.

Why its better: What sort of kid? What sort of mess? Is it a boy or a girl? Is it a
mess like someone robbed the house, or like there was a flood, or just a typical
little kid mess?

WRONG: The food the waiter brought us looked unappetizing and smelled bad.

RIGHT: The plate that the disinterested waiter brought to us was covered in a
sticky, greenish mass that looked like something a sick rhinoceros might barf out
on a bad day. It smelled even worse, a piercing reek reminiscent of old socks
soaked in ammonia.

Why its better: Stay away from words like unappetizing and bad, as they are
subjective and mean different things to different people.

Now its your turn. Fix the following boring, vague sentences by adding great
details.

The kids on the street looked like they were troublemakers.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

The restaurants atmosphere was really poor.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

The tired student carried the heavy books.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

39
The four trick-or-treaters were dressed like a lion, a ghost, a vampire and
something that I could not tell what it was.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

The kid had a speech problem of some sort.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

The river was polluted and smelled terrible.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Assignment: Describing a person

Read the following paragraph, from Alan Moores The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen:
The speaker was a striking negress, some few inches taller than the dead man was himself, clad
in a long skirt of what looked like emerald velvet and hung all about with bracelets, beads and
gaudy fetishes, a flickering candelabra held up in one slender hand. Her hair was hidden by the
turquoise wrapping of a turban, and before she turned from him to walk down the decaying
castles silent hall he glimpsed the spiraling raised bumps of ritual disfigurements upon her
cheeks, yet could not match the scarrings singular design with those of any similarly decorated
tribe he had encountered while in Africa. It seemed that he had no choice but to follow where she
led, down corridors that twisted like intestines, winding ever deeper into the decaying mass of
this once-stately building, now a bleak and ghastly carcass.

Does Moore conjure a good image of the woman? Can you picture her in your
imagination? Could you pick the woman out of a group of people? Thats what this
assignment is about.

For this assignment, pick a person. It must be a stranger: dont pick someone you
know. Pick another student at the university, someone on the bus, a sales clerk at a
store, a professor walking around campus, anyone. Then you will describe that
person.

The trick is that you must combine the person with a concept of some sort. Not a
student, a LAZY student. Not a store clerk, an OVERWORKED store clerk. Not a
professor, a SCHOLARLY professor. Moore did not describe a woman, he described
an EXOTIC woman.

When I read our paragraph, I should be able to pick the person out of a group of
people without speaking to them. Describe what theyre wearing, how they walk,

40
how their voice sounds, how they smell (if appropriate), what sort of attitude they
give off, etc.

Turn in the assignment following the instructions of the instructor.

Narrative Paragraph

A narrative is a story that has a point of some sort. They are easy to create,
because we tell stories to each other every day. What did you do today? How did
you find the place? What did you order at the restaurant and did you like it? The
answers to these sorts of questions are often told in narrative form. A narrative can
also often serve as the introduction to a larger essay.

Read the following paragraph:

I always assumed that kids like expensive toys until one day I learned thats
not always true. For my sons fifth birthday, he received several presents,
including a yellow toy truck, a board game, several pristine childrens books
and a small set of Star Wars toys. I watched as he opened them with delight,
setting each toy aside as he opened the next one. After he had opened them,
I went off to help get the cake ready. When I returned, I saw him happily
playingwith the cardboard boxes and wrapping paper that his toys had come
in. The toys themselves? They were forgotten, left in a disorganized heap
beside him!

Questions:

Most narrative paragraphs have a point or message to them. What is the point or
message of this paragraph?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Transition signals are words that help move the text along. In the case of narrative
paragraphs, essays and stories, transition signals are those that help to move the
story alone chronologically, like first, next, afterwards, etc. What are the
transition signals in this paragraph?

________________________________________________________________

Remember to use good exemplification and details in your narrative! This is

something some students often forget. Read the paragraph below and then re-write
the sentences that are lacking good details and examples.

My first date with Sheila was a disaster. I was supposed to pick her up at 7:00
but my brothers car had trouble and I got there late. She wasnt too happy

41
 about it. First, we went to the movies, but the one we saw was really bad and
we didnt like it. Then we went to a restaurant, but the service was slow and
the food was not any good. After that, we went for a walk in the park, but the
weather did not co-operate. Finally, I had to just take her home! Fortunately,
she agreed to a second date, which went much better.

Example: I was supposed to pick her up at 7:00 but my brothers car had trouble
and I got there late.

I was supposed to pick her up at 7:00 but the battered 1993 Honda Civic I
borrowed from my brother wouldnt start and by the time I got it running and got
over there, it was already 8:15.

She wasnt too happy about it.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

First, we went to the movies, but the one we saw was really bad and we didnt like
it.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Then we went to a restaurant, but the service was slow and the food was not any
good.
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

After that, we went for a walk in the park, but the weather did not co-operate.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Fortunately, she agreed to a second date, which went much better.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Assignment: Read the following paragraph from J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets and then answer the questions that follow.

They finished lunch and went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat down on
a stone step and buried her nose in Voyages with Vampires again. Harry and Ron stood
talking about Quidditch for several minutes before Harry became aware that he was being
closely watched. Looking up, he saw the very small, mousey-haired boy hed seen trying
42
 on the Sorting Hat last night, staring at Harry as though transfixed. He was clutching what
looked like an ordinary Muggle camera, and the moment Harry looked at him, he went
bright red.
Is the little story that is told in this paragraph clear? Why or why not?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Which writing mistakes did Rowling avoid when writing this paragraph? How did she
avoid them?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Rowling shows some impressive skills with her use of adjectives and adverbs in this
paragraph. Words like overcast, stone, closely and mousey-haired add much to the
story. Choose two of these and explain how they are important to the story.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Assignment: Narrative paragraph. For this paragraph assignment, you will tell a
brief story with a point to it. The overall message of the story is to explain
why someone is a good friend to you. First, pick one of your best friends. Then,
tell a story in narrative form which illustrates why this person is a good friend. It
might describe the time you had a fight and made up, or the time he/she got you
out of jail, etc. Your readers should be able to visualize the events of the story as
clearly as in the examples given above. Keep the paragraph to ten sentences or
fewer.

Comp and Rhet Unit: Writing a Review

Assignment One: Read p 297-305, complete the reading questions. Reading
Questions, online restaurant review

Reading Questions

Do you read online reviews? Which ones?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

43
According to Nancy Smith, what does Deputy Grimes say to the zombie?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What score did Metacritic.com give the Walking Dead?

__________________________________________________________________

What are some examples of media for reviews given in the book?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How can reviews differ across cultures and communities?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What are the characteristic features of a review, according the book?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2). Relevant Information about the subject (p. 302)

What item does Seth Schiesel Review in the book? Does he like it?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What are the words in the article that are attached to links?

__________________________________________________________________

What background information about Johnny Cash does Zadie Smith include in her
review? Why is it relevant?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What will you be reviewing? What background information is necessary or your own
review?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

44
3. Read Coconut Grove has a new Peruvian Gem in 33 Kitchen. Its not in the
book. Google it or follow the link provided by your professor.

What does the 33 stand for?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What is the atmosphere of the restaurant like?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What's the ceviche like?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What's the best dessert on the menu?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4). Criteria for the Evaluation (p. 305)

What do the authors mean by "criteria" for a review? Give some examples.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Who is Forsythe?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Describe the differences between the two reviews of Texas A&M University on page
306. If you were thinking of going to school there, which of the two reviews would
be more useful to you?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

For your own review, what are the criteria you'll be using?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

45
5). A Well-Supported Evaluation (p. 307)

What is the foundation of every review?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What two books were Mariah Anthony and Don Shea reading on the subway when
they were interviewed by Amy Goldwasser?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Did Manohla Dargis like the movie Cave of Forgotten Dreams? Why or why not?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

For your review, what information will you be using to support your evaluation?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6). Monopoly: The Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game (p. 314)

What is Tim Alamenciak reviewing? Is it a game, book or movie? What is the name
of the book, movie or game?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Who are Elizabeth Magie and Charles Darrow?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What are Alamenciak's criteria for his review?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What is his evaluation of the material?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

46
Here are five adjectives taken from the review and their location. Look for them and
describe briefly what they mean.

a. "Prolific" (In the paragraph that begins with "Magie was..." 315)
__________________________________________________________________

b. "Obscure" (paragraph starts with Meanwhile, her... 315)

__________________________________________________________________

c. "Compelling" (paragraph begins with "The book is..." 315)

__________________________________________________________________

d. "Cohesive" (paragraph begins with "Pilon's book..." 315)

__________________________________________________________________

e. "Quirky" (paragraph begins with "This is not..." 316)

__________________________________________________________________

7). Attention to the Audience's Needs and Expectations (p. 309)

What does the reader of a review expect from it?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

According to Cameron Woolsey, why is the Playstation 4 version of Minecraft better

than its predecessors?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What assumptions does Woolsey make about his readers?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

In your review, what assumptions can you make about your readers?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

In your review, what information will your readers expect from you?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

8). An Authoritative Tone (p. 310)

Why is it important to establish your credibility in a review?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

47
How does Caleb Crain establish his credibility for his review of the book about
whaling?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What background information is used by Robin Creswell in her review?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What original works does David Edelstein compare the movie version of Alice in
Wonderland to?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How can you establish credibility in your own review?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

9). Serial: A captivating new Podcast (p. 336)

What is the topic material of Serial?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Who is Jay and why is he important to the podcast?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What is the tone adopted by Schultz, and how does it help establish her authority?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Does the review make listening to Serial seem interesting to you?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

10). Awareness of the Ethics of Reviewing (p. 312)

Are ethics important to a reviewer?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

48
How can a reviewer's ethics be called into question?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Are there ethical questions surrounding your review? If so, what are they?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

11). Ode to Joy (and Sadness and Anger) (p. 331)

How does Scott compare Inside Out to other recent Pixar movies?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Which voice actors play the five emotions inside Riley's brain?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Have you seen the movie? Do you think the review is accurate?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What assumptions does Scott make about the audience?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What does Scott start with? Why is this important to the review?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

12). Worksheet for Review Assignment

Part One: Before you write:

What is this a review of?

_______________________________________________________________

What is your overall evaluation of the restaurant or movie?

_______________________________________________________________

49
Who are you trying to reach with this review? What do they have in common with
you?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

How much background information will these readers need to get the most out of
your review?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

What are their expectations of your review? What sort of criteria will work with
them?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Why are you writing the review? (Obviously, it's an assignment, but imagine that it
is not.) Is it for a personal webpage? A magazine? What media do you picture it
being published in?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

13. Evaluation tools:

What was your first impression of the restaurant or movie? Did it change in the
course of your experience?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

What can you compare it to? Other movies, restaurants? Will your readers be
familiar with them?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Do you need to do any outside research in order to establish your credibility and
improve your review. For example, the movie Revenant tells the story of Hugh
Glass, a real historical person. Should you fact-check scenes from the movie
against history?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

50
Make a list of criteria you'll be using. For example, for a restaurant, will you only
consider the food and ambience but not the location, prices and service? Will you
consider all of them?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Make a judgment about the movie or restaurant. Is it worth going to? Why or why
not?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

You will need to mix description, summary and evaluation. How will you do that?
_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Are there any ethical considerations with you reviewing this restaurant or movie?
_______________________________________________________________

Part Two: Writing the review

For the purposes of this assignment, you will write a review of between five to eight
paragraphs of the movie or restaurant you have selected. If you choose to review a
movie, you must select a new movie, and see in at the movie theater. If you
choose to review a restaurant, it must be one that you have never been to before.
You will turn in a photocopy of your restaurant receipt with the assignment to verify
the date.

First part: Introduction. One to two paragraphs.

In the introduction, you will need to do the following:

Catch the readers' interest with some good background information

Start establishing your credibility

Clarify what you're reviewing and give an idea of what your evaluation will be

Create and include a clear thesis statement

Give an idea of what your criteria will be

Second Part: Body: Three to five paragraphs

In the body, you'll lay out a description of the movie or restaurant, judging it as
you do so in terms of your criteria.

51
Avoid summarizing. Don't just say what you ate when you went to the restaurant or
what happened in the movie. If you're reviewing a movie, don't include any spoilers
for anyone who has not seen it yet.

Use plenty of good adjectives without being too wordy.

Third Part: Conclusion. One paragraph

In your conclusion, you should re-state your main points and clarify your
evaluation. Who is the restaurant/movie good for? Do you recommend it?

Composition and Rhetoric Unit: Argumentative Essay

1). Arguing a Position

Reading Questions p. 116-122

In Political Science, what purpose do position papers serve?

__________________________________________________________________

When Pepsi's slogan "Pepsi brings you back to life" was translated into Chinese,
what did it come out as?
_________________________________________________________________

What are the eight Characteristic Features of Argumentative writing?

An explicit position
A response to what others have said or done
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

What's the point that Thomas Friedman is trying to make, in your own words? (p.
121)

__________________________________________________________________

According to Sean Gregory, LeBron James could be worth up to $500 million to

Cleveland. What are two ways James will generate that money in the local
economy? (p. 122)

__________________________________________________________________

52
__________________________________________________________________

2). Why research for the pure sake of knowing is enough, by Dr. Sheila
Patek

This video is available online. Google it or follow the link provided by your
professor. Watch Dr. Patek's Video and answer the following questions:

What marine animal does Dr. Patek study?

__________________________________________________________________

What did the lawyer from Nigeria say to Dr. Patek?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Study of sea slugs led to medical advancements in which human organ?

__________________________________________________________________

Who funds Dr. Patek's research?

__________________________________________________________________

What is the point that Dr. Patek is trying to argue in favor of?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Is Dr. Patek convincing? Why or why not? Did she convince you of her point of
view?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3). A Response to What Others Have Said or Done (p. 122-125)

Reading Questions for A Response to What Others Have Said or Done: (122-125)

What is the argument addressed by Katherine Spriggs?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

53
4). Yes We Can Video

What is the main argument here?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How did the video producers make their argument?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Then-candidate Obama makes arguments against his political opponents, answering

them with Yes, we can. What are the oppositional arguments?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What made this video so popular and effective?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5). Attention to More than One Point of View (p. 132-133)

Reading Questions for Attention to More than One Point of View (p. 132-133)

What argument is addressed by Naomi Oreskes?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Why might some people disagree with Oreskes, even though she has considered
928 articles?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

According to Jennifer Delahunty, some people think that college admissions officers
make their decisions lightly. How does she answer them?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6). Counter-arguments Homework.

Part one: Select the best counter-argument for each argument.

1. Ecuador should be returned to Inca rule because the Spanish conquistadors

illegally attacked Inca Atahualpa in 1533.

54
 a. No, because the current president is doing a good job.
b. No, because it would be impossible to determine who is Atahualpa's rightful
heir.
c. No, because the system the Spanish installed is better.
d. No, because other countries might reject the new leadership.

2. No one should have a facebook account until they are 27 years old because
before that, they do too many stupid things and then their friends post photos
which will haunt them later in life.

a. No, because facebook is an important tool for work for some people.
b. No, because facebook will soon be out of fashion anyway and everyone else
will share their communication on a different web site.
c. No, because many of those under 27 would not do stupid things and it is the
responsibility of the others to monitor their own social media profiles.
d. No, because facebook is my primary source for news about what's going on
in the world and under that rule I would have to delete my account.

3. Television shows are better than ever because there are so many of them on the
air now.

a. No, because quantity does not necessarily mean quality.

b. No, because the best TV show ever was "the Incredible Hulk" from the
1970's.
c. No, because TV shows made more money ten years ago before there was so
much online piracy.
d. No, because they have too much sex and violence in them.

4. Reading a novel is better than seeing the movie adaptation because you're
reading what the original author wants you to.

a. No, because the effects in the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter were
awesome.
b. No, because some of the best movies are very faithful adaptations of the
original.
c. No, because some people don't like to read books and never will, so they go
to the movies instead.
d. No, because often the author helps write the script to the movie adaptation
of his/her book.

5. People are too unfair to Justin Bieber. He's actually a talented, hard-working
performer.

a. No, because he's actually an idiot.

b. No, because he uses too much modern technology to create the illusion of
talent and insiders say he has to hire good musicians to make up for his
defects.
c. No, because his music is only for teenage girls.

55
 d. No, because he should be in jail because of that one time he punched a
photographer and was only fined for it.

6. Graffiti artists are as good as other, more traditional artists and should be taken
as seriously.

a. No, because painting a picture is not a crime but spray painting a wall is, and
criminals should not be rewarded.
b. No, because most graffiti is really ugly and makes the neighborhood look
bad.
c. No, because when graffiti artists have any talent, they tend to go succeed in
making more mainstream art.
d. No, because graffiti is temporary and can be destroyed by weather, new
construction or property owners anytime.

7. Atheists should not be allowed to hold public offices, like senator or president,
because their lack of belief in God means that they have no morality to guide their
actions.

a. No, because plenty of religious people in those positions have shown a

distinct lack of morality.
b. No, because atheists have the same rights as anyone else.
c. No, because atheists, just like any other special interest group, need to have
someone in government to represent their interests.
d. No, because my uncle is an atheist and he's a really decent guy.

8. Ecuador should have term limits for President because other civilized countries
have them.

a. No, because Correa is awesome and I want him to be President forever.

b. No, because Ecuador has many policies which work here but which would not
work in other countries, and vice-versa.
c. No, because people should have the right to vote for whoever they want as
long as they want.
d. No, because some presidents might have good things they accomplished un-
done by subsequent administrations.

9. They should install bicycle lanes on every street in Quito because riding a bike in
the city is very unsafe right now.

a. No, because it's too expensive.

b. No, because the answer is to educate the other drivers how to drive with
more cyclists on the road.
c. No, because in rural areas this isn't a problem.
d. No, because it's healthier for cyclists when they have to pedal really fast to
avoid getting run over on the streets.

56
10. High schools should sell junk food in vending machines because it's a way for
the school districts to make money for useful things, like computers.

a. No, because there are other, less damaging ways to make money for
schools.
b. No, because that stuff is terrible for kids.
c. No, because no one will buy it if it's more expensive than it is outside of the
school.
d. Mmmm, Doritos

Part Two: Now, write your own appropriate counter-arguments on a separate

sheet of paper:

1. High school students should not have to wear uniforms to school

because the uniforms are expensive for them or their parents.
2. The government should let Amazon.com and other online retailers ship
things to Ecuador for regular shipping rates because e-commerce is
good for the national economy.
3. All college textbooks at USFQ should be electronic books because that
would save a lot of trees being made into paper.
4. Ecuador should not allow foreign movies to be shown here, because
then the national film industry would make more money when more
people went to see their movies instead.
5. There should be a law banning Christmas decorations and music in
stores before November first every year, because those stores are only
doing it to make money and it's annoying.
6. People who walk their dog and then don't pick up the poop should be
fined $500 and forced to spend three weekends picking up poop in the
parks.
7. They should make casinos legal in Ecuador again because they can
bring in a lot of tourists.
8. Everybody on Galapagos should have to move out because it's a
protected ecosystem and humans are ruining it.
9. Beauty pageants should be outlawed because the contestants are only
valued for their looks.
10.Christopher should let all of his Composition and Rhetoric classes go
early every Thursday because he's a really nice guy.

7). Appropriate Background Information p. 125-128

Reading Questions Appropriate Background Information

What do the examples of the Yes, we can video and making a campus poster
have in common? (125)
__________________________________________________________________

57
__________________________________________________________________

What topic did Shirley Ann Jackson address in 2011?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What important background information did she have on hand for her speech
(summarize it)?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What is Randall Hicks' job?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Hicks' father said "I'll break his goddamned hands." Whose hands would he break
and why?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Homework: Match the topic with one possible relevant bit of background
information:

Topics Background information

1. You should delete your Facebook
account
2. Game of Thrones is the best
television show ever
3. Ecuador needs a stronger
industrial base
4. Video games should be
considered a sport
5. Real books are better than
electronic books
6. Non-electric cars should be
banned in Galapagos
7. Quito needs a better public
transportation system
8. Athletes who use performance-
enhancing drugs should be
banned from their sport
9. The private lives of political
leaders does not affect their
effectiveness
10.People who are in jail should be
allowed to vote
a) The accomplishments of
President Bill Clinton
b) Information about the wildlife of
Galapagos
c) A story about an athlete who
used steroids
d) A story about how someone had
her identity stolen on Facebook
e) A story about political prisoners
in some nations
f) A brief consideration of some of
the most successful TV shows in
history
g) A history of printed books
h) An examination of industries in
Colombia and Peru
i) Some research about how many
spectators watch video games
being played
j) A personal story about riding the
ecovia

58
Your own topic: Briefly sketch out two possibilities for background information for
your own topic.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

8). A Clear Indication of Why the Topic Matters

Reading Questions: A Clear Indication of Why the Topic Matters

Melody Hobson tells a story from 2006. What happened to her and her friend?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Your topic: Why is your topic important, in your own words?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

9). Work is a Blessing (136-137)

Who wrote the article, and why is he an "expert?"

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What background information does the author provide? Why is it relevant?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How does the writer establish his authority?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What does the story about Bangladesh illustrate?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

59
What one sentence summarizes Honor's point? Hint: It's not "Work is a blessing."
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What point is the writer trying to argue here?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

10). Good Reasons and Evidence p. 130-132

Reading Questions for Good Reasons and Evidence:

Some of the possible supporting evidence mentioned in the book is:

facts
firsthand material gathered from observation

Who is Jennifer Delahunty and what work does she do?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Why would the girl have gotten into college if she had been a boy?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What sort of reasons and evidence does Delahunty give?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What sort of evidence did the Surgeon General consider when making the report
about smoking?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

60
11). On Buying Local (p. 150-158)

How does Spriggs gain the readers interest in the introduction?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What is her thesis statement and where is it?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Her background information is that the international community is facing

environmental challenges. What specific details and information does she provide to
support this?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

She includes a personal experience. Describe it and the message it imparts.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What are the differences between small farms and large ones?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Besides helping farmers, how would buying local have a positive impact?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

In the paragraph that begins with "Some argue..." there is a counter-argument.

What is it, and how does Spriggs rebut that particular argument?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

In the paragraph that begins with "Critics have..." there is another counter-
argument. What is it, and how does Spriggs rebut this second argument?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

In her final body paragraph (starts with "Arguments that..."), Spriggs mentions
another positive effect that buying local would have. Summarize it.
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

61
12). An Authoritative Tone (133-134)

Reading: An Authoritative Tone

Why is an authoritative tone important?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What are some ways to come across as authoritative?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

13). An Appeal to Readers' Values

Reading: An Appeal to Readers' Values

What do we mean by appealing to readers' values?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How can you appeal to your readers' values in your own essay topic?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

14). In the Minimum Wage Debate, Both Sides Make Valid Points (p. 146-
149)

Who is Rex Huppke and what does he do?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

At first, what was Huppke's stance on the minimum wage debate? Has he changed
it, and if so, how?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What arguments are made by those who oppose raising the minimum wage?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What arguments are made by those who are in favor of raising the minimum wage?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

62
What is the EITC?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How does Huppke establish his credibility on the subject?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

15). Why keep the old and sick behind bars?

In your own words, what is the argument made bythis editorial?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Identify and write out the thesis statement of the essay.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

There are two main reasons given why older inmates should be released early from
prison. What are they?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Wat are some factors in this argument that are not taken into account in this
editorial?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What are some of the solutions to the problem offered in the essay?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

16). Argumentative Essay Worksheet

Before You Write:

What is your topic? What is your stance on the topic?

__________________________________________________________________
63
__________________________________________________________________

Your audience:

Who are you writing this for?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What opinions, if any, will the people you are writing for have on this topic?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What knowledge, if any, will the people you are writing for have on this topic?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What values might you have in common with your readers when it comes to this
topic?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Context:

Is this topic often argued about, or will it be relatively new to your readers?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Who tends to support and oppose your point of view and why?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Medium: where will you publish this piece of writing? How does that affect the
readership?
__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Writing the Essay:

Part One: Introduction. Your introduction will be one to two paragraphs. The
introduction must grab the reader's attention. You can do this with a personal story,
interesting statistics, a good quote or a direct appeal to shared values with your

64
assumed readers. You should also have a thesis statement here, with a solid stance
on the subject.

Part Two: Background information. Give one paragraph of background information.

This can be reports, statistics, a personal story, interviews and quotes by or about
people affected by your topic. This will need to be more developed if you think that
your readers do not have much information about the topic.

Part Three: Your Argument. Write two paragraphs which detail your own arguments
about the subject. These should be supported by facts, examples, quotes, statistics,
etc. Each paragraph should contain one main argument which advances your
thesis.

Part Four: Counter-arguments and rebuttals. Write one paragraph in which you
respectfully consider an opposing argument. This should be attached to a specific
group or person whenever possible. Rebut this argument with appropriate facts and
examples which prove that your point of view is better.

Part Five: Conclusion: Your conclusion can be a summary of your main points or it
can include a relevant parting thought or prediction.

Homework Assignments for Research Paper

Chapter 20: Finding Sources

1. What does the book say about using Facebook or Wikipedia?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3. What is the difference between scholarly and popular sources?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. What sorts of things are considered sources from periodicals?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

65
5. What sorts of special resources does our library have?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6. What sorts of sources would you find through an EBSCO search?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

7. What is a "wildcard search?" and how do you do one?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

8. Is field research a possibility for your topic?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

9. Can you think of anyone you could interview for your topic? Who would it be, and
why would this person have an important opinion to offer?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

10. Would a survey or questionnaire work for your topic? Why or why not?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Chapter 21: Keeping Track

According to the book, what is the easiest way to keep track of your sources?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

66
What sort of information should be in your notes?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What sort of information will you need to have for your bibliography?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Chapter 22

What is the sample topic that they give you at the start of the chapter? Why is this
topic controversial?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The book says your sources need to be appropriate and reliable. What do these two
words mean in this context?

Appropriate:

Reliable:

What sort of information about the authors of your sources is relevant?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Why is the published or updated date relevant?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Why are articles cited in other works considered more important?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

67
Go to Google Scholar and look up the following two sources:

Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution by James M. McPherson

Abraham Lincoln's Great Awakening: From Moderate to Abolitionist by Justin Ewers

Which one is cited more often?

7. What arguments does Dan Snyder use to make the case for keeping the name of
the Washington Redskins?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Chapter 24: Synthesizing Ideas

1. What is synthesis in a research paper, in your own words?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. What does Benjamin Svetkey use to illustrate Robin Williams' mindset before his
death?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3. What are some things that we must look for in our sources when we are thinking
of using them? (see p. 508-509)

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. How does Julia Landauer use her two sources, McCloud and Becker?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Research Paper: Holding Up the Hollywood Stagecoach: The European take

on the Western (p. 574-590)

What is the thesis statement? Write it out here.

__________________________________________________________________

68
__________________________________________________________________

How is Stagecoach described in the paper?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

According to Michael Coyne, why was Stagecoach so important?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How does the music contribute to the action in Stagecoach?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What is the title of the essay written by Deborah Blight?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

How was the Italians take on Westerns different from that of Hollywood?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Why was the casting of Henry Fonda as Frank so subversive?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Who is Harmonica and what does he represent?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Watch Cause/Effect: the unexpected origins of terrible things.

What is usually considered the reason World War One broke out?

__________________________________________________________________

69
__________________________________________________________________

What book does Adam Westbrook believe is the real cause of the war? How did the
war come about on account of this book?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What sorts of materials does Westbook use to build his argument?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Chapter 25: Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing

1. When should you paraphrase instead of Quoting?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. Put quotation marks correctly into the following paragraph. Original citation: "On
the base of the "Pino Suarez and Carranza" Chac Mool (named after a Mexico City
intersection where it was dug up during road work) is the face of Tlaloc himself
surrounded by aquatic life." (Source: "The Chac Mool Sculptures of Ancient Mexico,
by Christopher Minster)

Chac Mool statues offer an interesting window into the history of pre-conquest
Mexico. They have been found at diverse sites, including Chichn Itz, Tula and
several sites in and around present-day Mexico City. The statues of reclining men
most likely served as altars for sacrifices to the gods. According to historian
Christopher Minster, the statues most likely had a link to the God Tlaloc: On the
base of the Pino Suarez and Carranza Chac Mool...is the face of Tlaloc himself
surrounded by aquatic life. (Minster, par. 6)

3. When should you put quotations into the text and when should you set them off
as a block?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. Can you change or leave out parts of a cited text? How do you do that?

__________________________________________________________________

70
__________________________________________________________________

5. How can we correctly paraphrase without plagiarizing? What are two

unacceptable ways to paraphrase?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

6. What are three risks of summarizing?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

7. What are some signal words and phrases that we can use to incorporate source
materials into our essays?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Paragraph Homework:

1. Go to the following website: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-happened-to-the-

ancient-maya-2136182

2. Read the article.

3. Imagine you're writing a paper about how different civilizations ended. You want
to write one paragraph in your paper about the Maya.

4. Write the paragraph. The topic sentence should be: "The decline of the Maya
Empire is still unclear to historians." Include the topic sentence in your paragraph.
The main idea of the paragraph is that people still don't know exactly why the Maya
Empire disappeared.

5. Cite the author correctly. In your paragraph you should have one
summary/paraphrase and at least one direct quote.

6. Avoid plagiarism!

7. Print out your paragraph and bring it to class.

Chapter 26: Giving Credit and Avoiding plagiarism

1. Define plagiarism in your own words.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

71
2. Why do we cite our sources?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3. What information need not be cited?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. What information needs to be cited correctly?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

5. What are six things you can do to avoid plagiarism?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Homework: Plagiarism or not? Which of the following are plagiarized, and which
are not? Read the original passage and the summaries/citations that follow. Which
ones are plagiarized, and why?

Original Passage:

Blackbeard had a distinctive flag. It featured a white, horned skeleton on a black

background. The skeleton is holding a spear, pointing at a red heart. There are red
"blood drops" near the heart. The skeleton is holding a glass, making a toast to the
devil. The skeleton obviously stands for death - for enemy crews who put up a
fight. The speared heart meant that no quarter would be asked or given.
Blackbeard's flag was designed to intimidate opposing ship crews into surrendering
without a fight, and it probably did!

Source:

Minster, Christopher. "Biography of Edward "Blackbeard" Teach." Latin American

History. About.com n.d. Web 5 Apr 2015.

1. Blackbeard had a distinctive flag. It featured a white, horned skeleton on a black

background. The skeleton is holding a spear, pointing at a red heart. There are red
"blood drops" near the heart. The skeleton is holding a glass, making a toast to the
devil. The skeleton obviously stands for death - for enemy crews who put up a
fight. The speared heart meant that no quarter would be asked or given.

72
Blackbeard's flag was designed to intimidate opposing ship crews into surrendering
without a fight, and it probably did! (Minster)

2. Blackbeard was a very daunting pirate who used his flag to further intimidate
opposing crews. His flag was black with a white skeleton on it. The skeleton had
horns and in one hand held a spear which it is pointing at a bleeding heart. In the
other hand was a glass, so that the skeleton could drink a toast to the devil. The
meaning of the flag was clear: those attacked by Blackbeard had better surrender
quick, or face certain death.

3. According to Christopher Minster, Blackbeard's flag was designed to intimidate

opposing ship crews into surrendering without a fight.

4. Blackbeard's flag was one of a kind, and was intended to intimidate his enemies.
It was a black flag with a white skeleton on it. In one hand, the skeleton had a
spear, pointing at a red heart; this indicated that Blackbeard would not spare
anyone who dared defy him. In the other hand it had a glass, supposedly drinking a
toast to the devil. (Minster)

5. Blackbeard's flag was designed to intimidate opposing crews: "The skeleton

obviously stands for death - for enemy crews who put up a fight. The speared heart
meant that no quarter would be asked or given." (Minster). It must have been a
very effective tool!

6. According to Christopher Minster, many old timey pirates used their flags to
intimidate their opponents. Blackbeard had a flag which opposing crews must have
found very scary: a skeleton holding a spear on a black background.

7. Blackbeard had a unique flag. It featured a white skeleton with horns on a black
background. The skeleton holds spear, pointing at a red heart. There are red blood
drops near the heart. The skeleton is toasting the devil with a glass. The skeleton
obviously stands for death - probably for opposing crews who put up a fight. The
heart meant that no quarter would be asked or given. Blackbeard's flag was
designed to scare opposing ship crews into surrendering without a fight.
(About.com)

8.Blackbeard was very concerned with his image, and liked to terrify his opponents
in battle. He wore his black hair long and matted, and often would stick smoking
wicks into his hair when he was fighting. Some of his opponents thought he was a
demon from hell! (Jessup, 87). Blackbeard's flag was scary, too. It was a black flag
with a white skeleton on it. The skeleton is jabbing a heart with the spear. The
skeleton obviously stands for death - for enemy crews who put up a fight. The
speared heart meant that no quarter would be asked or given.

73
Homework: Works Cited MLA format

Write out the correct citations for the following sources. Use the MLA guidelines,
which can be found at the Purdue University Online Writing Lab or in your textbook.
Be sure to put your citations in alphabetical order!

A book entitled Under the Black Flag: the Romance and the Reality of Life Among
the Pirates, written by David Cordingly. It was originally written in 1996 and
reprinted in 2006 by Random House Trade Paperbacks of New York.

A magazine article written by Pedro Salmern Sangins entitled Obregon, entre la

vida y la muerte. It appeared in the March 7, 2009 edition of Relatos e historias
de Mxico on pages 18-25.

An interview with Mel Gibson. It appeared online on comingsoon.net on August 13,

2012. The title is Exclusive Mel Gibson Interview: a candid and rare conversation.
The interviewers name is Paul Fischer.

A DVD of the 2002 movie The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers. Starring Elijah
Wood, Ian McKellan and Viggo Mortensen. Directed by Peter Jackson. Released by
New Line Cinema.

A book entitled History of the Incas by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa. It was

translated and edited by Sir Clement Markham. Originally published in 1907, you
have a newer version printed by Dover Books of Mineola, New York in 1999.

An online article from ABC news entitled: Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto
Outlines New Drug War Plan It was written by Jordan Fabian. It was uploaded on
December 18, 2012. It appeared on ABCnews.go.com.

In-text citations: Whenever you use information or quotes from your sources in
the text of your paper, you must cite them correctly. The basic purpose of the in-
text citation is to get your reader to the correct bibliographical information at the
end of your paper with as short a citation as possible.

When to use in-text citations

You should use in-text citations to identify a direct or indirect quote or to credit
information or opinions that are not your own. A good rule of thumb is that if you
need to look up the information, you should cite it. Another good rule of thumb is
that it is better to cite when you dont really need to than to not cite when you
should.

Why do in-text citations?

There are several reasons, including:

It helps avoid charges of plagiarism

It gives credit for the work of others

74
 It increases the believability of your own arguments
It helps your readers find more information if they need it

How to Correctly create In-text citations

In-text citations should be as short as possible. They must cite the authors last
name(s) or text, according to what you have cited in your bibliography. You can
work the citation into the text, or put it in parentheses.

If the source is short, like a web page or a magazine article, the authors last name
is sufficient.

Ex. The ancient Maya developed several advanced agricultural techniques (Rogers).

or

According to historical blogger Steve Rogers, the ancient Maya developed several
advanced agricultural techniques.

This cites an article or web page, and assumes that there is only one Rogers in your
bibliography.

If your source does not have an author, use the title just as you would in your
works cited. If the article title is really long, you can shorten it.

Ex. Alan Moores Watchmen has sold more copies than 1984 since 1990 (Best-
selling Graphic Novels of all-time). In this case, you are citing an article or web
page with no author listed.

For a longer work, you should include some data to help your reader find more
information quickly. You can use this for page numbers or paragraph numbers in
the case of a lengthy article or web page.

Ex. George Orwells experiences as a war correspondent in Paris in World War Two
influenced his writing of 1984 (Barnes, 183).

For two or three authors, include all of their last names. For four or more, you can
use et. al.

Research paper guidelines

Your research paper should:

be 1,500 to 2,500 words long

be properly cited
be free of plagiarism of any sort
be informative and interesting

75
 be free of vague, unsubstantiated statements
have clearly defined experts (ex. "according to historian Michael Hogan")
have a minimum of eight sources, including three print sources, three
sources from the USFQ library databases, and two others
Document your print sources: i.e. include a digital photo
be well organized, with an introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion,
coherent thesis statement and topic sentences
be done in MLA format, including in-text citations. See the Purdue
University online writing laboratory page if you have any questions on how
to cite correctly.

Please note:

penalties for not doing the research paper correctly can add up. For
example, if you do not include enough sources and turn in the paper late,
you may lose 20% or more.
if you turn in fake sources, your grade will be lowered
Remember, as per the syllabus, the research paper is the single most
important assignment, grade-wise. It is worth 20% of your final grade.

Monday-Wednesday FA 2017
August 2017
Monday Wednesday
21 Introduction to the Course 23 Exercises 1-9 Course Packet
28 Exercises 10-14 Course Packet 30 Outlining assignments one and two
How to Read 1
Biography of Eloy Alfaro

September 2017
Monday
4 How to read #2: The Country that stopped
reading.
Exemplification Paragraph homework
11 Process paragraph homework
Cause/effect paragraph due
18 Narrative paragraph homework
Descriptive paragraph due
Wednesday
6 Cause and Effect Paragraph Homework
Exemplification paragraph due
13 Description paragraph homework
Process paragraph due
20 Review Writing: Assignments 1-6 in Course
Packet.
Read "Coconut Grove has a new Peruvian Gem in
33 Kitchen" and Monopoly: The Scandal Behind
the World's Favorite Board Game
Narrative paragraph due

76
25 Assignments 7-11 in Course Packet 27 Assignment 12-13 workbook: writing the
Read Serial: A Captivating New Podcast Review
Read Ode to Joy (and Sadness and Anger) Bring two printouts of your review to class.
Select Argumentative essay topic In-class workshop

October 2017
Monday Wednesday
2 Argumentative Essay: Assignments 1-5 Course 4 Course Packet Assignments 6-11
Packet. Read Work is a blessing.
Watch Why research for the pure sake of knowing Read On Buying Local
is enough, by Dr. Sheila Patek
Watch Yes, we can
9 Vacation 11 Course Packet Assignments 12-15
Read In the minimum wage debate, both sides
make valid points.
Read Why keep the old and sick behind bars?
16 Workbook exercise 16 18 Research Paper
Bring two printouts of your argumentative essay Librarian visit day
to class.
In-class workshop
23 Research Paper assignments: Read Ch. 20-22 25 Read Ch. 25-26, do the homework in the
and 24 and do the corresponding questions in the course packet
course packet Watch Cause/Effect: the unexpected origins of
Read Holding Up the Hollywood Stagecoach: The terrible things and do the corresponding
European take on the Western (p. 574-590) homework in the packet.
Do paragraph homework about the Ancient Maya
(in packet)
30 Homework: Plagiarism or not?
Works Cited (MLA format) (course packet)

November 2017
Monday Wednesday
1 Common Research paper mistakes and in-text
citations
6 The Portfolio: How to do it 8 Photo Essay
HW: see 50 Influential Photographs That Changed
Our World webpage. Homework: pick any one of
the photographs and write a one-paragraph
description of it.
13 HW: Take a photo, send it in, discuss in class 15 Photo Essay

77
 See three online photo essays, go over in class
20 Portfolio Workshop 22 Web page
27 Web Page 29 Web Page

December 2017
Monday Wednesday
4 Test Prep 6 Vacation

11 Last Day of Classes

Test Prep

Tuesday-Thursday FA 2017

August 2017
Tuesday Thursday
22 Introduction to the Course 24 Exercises 1-9 Course Packet
29 Exercises 10-14 Course Packet 31 Outlining assignments one and two
How to Read 1
Biography of Eloy Alfaro

September 2017
Tuesday
5 How to read #2: The Country that stopped
reading.
Exemplification Paragraph homework
12 Process paragraph homework
Cause/effect paragraph due
19 Narrative paragraph homework
Descriptive paragraph due
Thursday
7 Cause and Effect Paragraph Homework
Exemplification paragraph due
14 Description paragraph homework
Process paragraph due
21 Review Writing: Assignments 1-6 in Course
Packet.

78

26 Assignments 7-11 in Course Packet
Read Serial: A Captivating New Podcast
Read Ode to Joy (and Sadness and Anger)
Select Argumentative essay topic
Read "Coconut Grove has a new Peruvian Gem in
33 Kitchen" and Monopoly: The Scandal Behind
the World's Favorite Board Game
Narrative paragraph due
28 Assignment 12-13 workbook: writing the
Review
Bring two printouts of your review to class.
In-class workshop

October 2017
Tuesday Thursday
3 Argumentative Essay: Assignments 1-5 Course 5 Vacation
Packet.
Watch Why research for the pure sake of knowing
is enough, by Dr. Sheila Patek
Watch Yes, we can
10 Vacation 12 Course Packet Assignments 6-11
Read Work is a blessing.
Read On Buying Local
17 Course Packet Assignments 12-15 19 Workbook exercise 16
Read In the minimum wage debate, both sides Bring two printouts of your argumentative essay
make valid points. to class.
Read Why keep the old and sick behind bars? In-class workshop

24 Research Paper assignments: Read Ch. 20-22
and 24 and do the corresponding questions in the
course packet
Read Holding Up the Hollywood Stagecoach: The
European take on the Western (p. 574-590)
31 Homework: Plagiarism or not?
Works Cited (MLA format) (course packet)
26 Read Ch. 25-26, do the homework in the
course packet
Watch Cause/Effect: the unexpected origins of
terrible things and do the corresponding
homework in the packet.
Do paragraph homework about the Ancient Maya
(in packet)

November 2017
Tuesday Thursday
2 Common Research paper mistakes and in-text
citations
7 The Portfolio: How to do it 9 Photo Essay

79
 HW: see 50 Influential Photographs That
Changed Our World webpage. Homework: pick
any one of the photographs and write a one-
paragraph description of it.
14 HW: Take a photo, send it in, discuss in class 16 Photo Essay
See three online photo essays, go over in class
21 Portfolio Workshop 23 Web page
28 Web Page 30 Web Page

December 2017
Tuesday Thursday
5 Test Prep 7 Vacation

12 Last Day of Classes

Test Prep

80