Reading fundamentals

(Pre-reading, predict, during and after reading, annotation)

1.Buy all required books, including Compclass for Rules for Writers.

2. Answer the questions on the questionnaire page in an email to akashyap@ccsf.edu

2. Download, print, and complete the course description worksheet. Visit the Writing lab and staple a Writing lab flyer or bookmark to the worksheet for full credit!

3.Read Morrison, Toni. "The Day, and Its Splendid Parts." The New York Times, March 27, 2008. (handout given in class). 

(b) Also read Joan Didion's Why I Write

(c) Reread Vapnyar, Lara. "Pot Luck." The New York Times, February 17, 2009. 

NOTE: Read these and all homework assignments actively—that is: Notice who wrote it, and her or his background. Mark passages you like, that puzzle you, and that you think contain the essay’s core ideas. Ask questions in the margin, summarize points, and/or talk back to the writer. Leave time to read each assignment thoroughly—and ideally, more than once.  Use the annotion codes we covered in class.

Introductions: 3 things in common

Discuss readings: Didion and Morrison

Discuss introduction of Defense of Food

paraphrasing, summarizing

1)Read the introdcution, and chapters 1 &2 in They Say, I Say.  Skim through the introduction.

2)  Read, annotate and summarize the introduction to Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. 

3) Post your response to this chapter on your blog in Compclass.  Remember you can personalize your blogby adding pictures and sharing information about yourself.  Use this URL to sign onto Compclass. 

4) Also on your blog, write a response to Didion--did you think her writing rang true for you?  What about her essay did you like/not like?   

5) Start preparing for in-class essay assignment #1:

In-Class Essay #1

Objective:  This in-class essay has two purposes:  1) to practice writing under timed conditions, and 2) to demonstrate basic summary writing skills.  Keep in mind that a summary is a brief version of a text that includes the main idea and most important supporting points.  Specific illustrations and details are left out, though an example or two may be summarized to help illuminate the author’s thesis.  The summary should be written in your own words (though including one or two direct quotations is acceptable), and you should remain objective throughout. 

Task:  You will write a summary of Michael Pollan's introduction to the Defense of Food using an organizational pattern that will be given to you the day of the essay. 
This assignment will be worth 10% of your grade.

(Bring your textbooks, paper, pen, dictionary, and notes.) 

Discuss summaries

Writing thesis statements, topic sentences

1.  In Chapter Two, the authors of They Say, I Say assert that to write a summary, a writer needs to be both objective, sticking to the original points made the author of the work being summarized (an exercise we did in class), but also be able to weave his/her stand on the topic into the summary.  In addition, they claim that the subject matter you are focusing on also influences what you include in the summary (reread "On the Other Hand, Know Where You Are Going). Keeping this in mind, read the essay by David Zinczenko (pp 139-41 in old book) and then complete Exercise 2 in Chapter 2 (We worked on exercise 1 in class). USE AND HIGHLIGHT APPROPRIATE TEMPLATES AND VERBS (SEE LIST AT THE END OF CHAPTER 2) WHILE WRITING THE SUMMARIES.  Post your summaries to your blog in CompClass by Friday 12:00 PM and cirtique at least two other students' postings by Sat 12:00 PM.  You should look at whether or not the summaries look different and serve the author's purpose, AND the use of templates.   

2.  Bring an annotated version of the introduction to class. Make sure you follow the format for annotating given on page 71 of your Workbook.

3. Come prepared to write an in-class summary. You may bring an outline, but one with no complete sentences please!  You can also bring all your text books, including In Defense of Food. 

4.  Print out, read and come prepared to discuss

Michael Pollan's Power Steer. 

Week 4, Feb 9

In-class summary

Discussion of Pollan's Power Steer

Topic Sentences

1)Reread Power Steer by Michael Pollan.  Outline the main reasons Pollan says corn is harmful for cows and therefore us.  Do you agree with him?  Blog your opinion and respond to atleast two other blog posts. 

2)Print, read and annotate relevant sections from Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma:

a) The Plant: Corn's Dilemma

b) The Processing Plant & Grass Fed

How do these articles support Pollan's thesis about corn being bad for animals and us?  Start identifying quotations you might be able to use to support the points in your own essay.

3)  Read Essay Assignment 2:  and start thinking about your outline.

4) Complete HW assignments on Topic Sentences

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Questions on readings

Topic sentences contd.

P.I.E. Outline Review

1) Re-read the rest of Power Steer and mark out where Pollan appeals to our logos, ethos or pathos.   Analyze one or two passages specifically showing how they show each method of persuasion and post these to your blog.

2)Bring 5 copies of your outline for peer review.  You may use this outline template as a guide.

3) Continue topic sentence homework

3) Read Responding to Arguments (TSIS) Ch.4, 51-63.

4) Start reading Part 1 of Defense of Food

Outline review,

P.I.E.

Responding to arguments

1) Revise outline and bring in five copies of a polished draft to class for peer review.  One paragraph should be especially developed showing P.I.E. clearly.  It should also have quotations that are properly formatted.  Please email me just this paragraph by Sunday 10 PM.

2) Complete PIE homework

3) Review quotation basics in TSIS, chapter 3

Peer Review

Paragraph focus

Sentence Focus

Work on your final draft. You will need to submit it i n a 2-pocket folder with all previous drafts (not peer review), outlines and HW on left hand side and 2 copies of final draft on the right hand side.

Complete reading Part 1 of Defense of Food.

Week 8, March 9

Final Draft Due

Discuss Part 1 of Defense of Food.

Sentence Focus

1)  Read the Parts 2 & 3 of Defense of Food.  For class discussion:

What do you think are Pollan's strongest arguments and evidence thus far? Note some places where you observe the way he uses language--rhetoric--to be persuasive: his tone, parenthetical comments, images, etc.  What do you think is most interesting about part 2 of this book? Which of his points do you most agree or disagree with and why?  Post your thoughts to your blog, and respond to at least one other posting.

Part III:: Think about what you find most persuasive in this section of the book, easiest to implement, and hardest to implement.  What would make it easier to do the harder stuff--individual choices?  Persuasive messages from media?  Regulation of the food industry?  Better oversight by the FDA & USDA (i.e. the federal government agencies charged with overseeing the safety of our food supply)?  Legislation? Classes?  Try to think both in terms of your own life and the people you know, and American society at large.  Post your thoughts to your blog and respond to at least one other posting.

For all three parts, as an annotation strategy, identify Pollan's key points in one column and your own response to it in the other--whether you agree, disagree, and why. 

2) Reread Essay Assignment #3.  Create a rough outline of your essay and bring three copies to class.  Email me a copy by Sunday evening.  If you have not already done so, complete the questionnaire from class-work.

3) Complete any sentence focus homework.

Sentence focus review

Discuss Parts 2 & 3

Coordinators

Outline review

1) Bring 5 copies of your rough draft for peer review.

2) Complete any coordinators homework

3) Reread chapter 4 and read chapters 5,6, 7 in They Say, I Say.

4) Email me a complete paragraph in which you clearly state one of Pollan's main points that supports your thesis, and your response to it.

Coordinators review

Subordinators

Essay #4 review

1) Complete any subordinators homework.

2) Bring 2 copies of your final draft in a 2-pocket folder to the next class (after Spring Break).

3) Start reading for Essay #4

Food as Memory

Personal essays:

Show versus Tell

Imagery: detail

Voice

Unifying themes

HW review: subordinators

Read and discuss first three readings in handout package.

Appositives (Noun Phrase Appositives)

Movie: The Meaning of Food

1) Read the rest of the packet until the Pollan essay. If were absent last class, and don't have the packet, you can read it here. 

2) Choose student essay assigned to you, print and critique it at home.  Bring in your comments (written on the essay, AND separately typed up) to class, addressing unifying theme/s of the essay, voice, detail and imagery.

Last names beginning with:

A-J: Student essay #1

M-R: Student essay #2

S-V: Student essay #3

3) Start working on Essay #4; you have only two weeks starting from today to complete this essay.  Bring in three copies of an outline or a rough draft.

4) Complete Appositive homework.  We will only have time to critique it in class.

HW: Appositives review

Discuss readings

Critique essays  

1) NOTE CHANGE: BRING 5 COPIES OF YOUR ESSAY FOR PEER REVIEW (FINAL DRAFT WILL NOT BE DUE UNTIL THE FOLLOWING WEEK)

Last class I read too many drafts that were not looking at larger themes in their narrative essays.  Please focus on the larger themes.  Reread all three sample essays--the Zaidi essay is the weakest because even though it mentions larger themes, the essay is not integrated with these themes, and the strongest essay is the one about the Cicadas as every paragraph in the essay builds towards the main idea.  Keep this in mind as you rewrite your essay.

2) Prepare a PROPOSAL for Essay  and hand it to me in to me in class for review:

 a) What is your main Inquiry Question—the question you expect to shape your research and your paper? You may also list 2-3 subsidiary questions.

 b) What do you hope to learn by researching your topic? –just a couple of sentences.

 c) Write 1 concise paragraph stating why this question matters to you.

(This assignment may be handwritten so long as it is completely legible)

Note: Remember that there are lots of links to organizations concerned with food and health, safety, ecoliteracy, justice, etc. on our Class Web site under “Resources”—they may be helpful to you in narrowing down your topic

Click here for more information on the reserach assignment.  You will also have to sign up for your presentation.  I will send out the sign-up sheet in class.  For help with topics, you can start here.   You can also read a sample essay here.

Research Paper

1)Your final essay is due in a 2-pocket folder.  Turn in a cover letter, and also a Corrections Sheet along with your Error Log.

2) Read the rest of the essays in the package handed to you in class.

3) Start researching your topic for your research paper: prepare for your presentation if you are one of the six who signed up.

Presentations

Discuss articles

Christenson 

1) Complete Christenson homework

2) Prepare for presentation

3) Start working on outline of your research essay.

Presentations

Discuss articles

Christenson 

Verbal phrases

1) Christenson home-work contd.

2)5 copies of outline due next week

3) prepare for presentations

1) 5 copies of research paper due for peer review

2) prepare for presentations

Review final essay

Party

Final research essay due.  Prepare for final essay. 

2) Bring revised copy of Food as Memory essay for the class book

3) Bring food/drink for potluck.