101-32

Unit #1--

Natural Narratives and Sentence Variety

August 21-September 21

175 points

Assignments

Goals

Aug

Week 1

Aug 21-27
 

T  Introductions, discussion of semester structure and topics. 

TH  Write in your once a week journal at the beginning of class.
    First Writing Project Begins -- A Natural Narrative produced in class.

• Emphasize the concrete and specific in your writing, not the abstract and general.

Week 2 Aug 28-Sep 3

T  First Natural Writing continues

TH  Handcopy Exercise

Post your own favorite fable -- just one -- to Blackboard Discussion Board.  Copy your text from the word processing file to the Blackboard Discussion Window.

Over Labor Day weekend read all your class members' posted fables and vote for your three favorites by sending eller an email with your favorite numbered 3 [your highest score] and your third choice number 1 [your lowest score]. . .3. . . 2 . . . 1

• Learn the parts of speech and how to recognize them; recognize the difference between phrases and clauses; and distinguish between sentence fragments and independent clauses.

Sept

Week 3 Sep 3-9

Labor Day

Week 3

Sep 4-10

T  Handcopy Exercise

Click here to find teacher's in-progress story.

Sentence Variety -- Simple, Compound, Complex

In-class Exercises -- Simple, Compound, Complex

TH  Natural Narrative due [on your flash or floppy drive, please] Click Here for Instructions.

Sentence Combining exercise.

• Organize information in focused narrative essays thick with description:
  

  • abstract;
    orientation;
    complication;
    resolution;
    coda.

Week 4 Sep 11-17

T  Quiz on Compound, complex, conjunctions, phrases/clauses, and punctuating same.

Discussion of narrative structure.

Revision of Natural Narrative begins.  Bring your Narrative to class.  We'll be working with it. [To Be Linked]

Discussion of abstract and general vs. concrete and specific

In-class description practice.

TH  1st revision of natural narrative is due.  Be ready to turn in hardcopy.

Parts of speech exercise -- Bring your REVISED true, funny and/or dangerous narrative on hard-copy.  We'll be working with it.

Building thick and thin lists.  In class discussion, practice, and teacher modeling.

• Learn the meaning of "well-developed" and how to achieve "development" in your writing.

• Must know the parts of speech and how to recognize them today.

September 18-October 5

Week 5

Sep 18-24

T:  Quiz

Making lists

More work with description -- continue working on your thick description of a photo with a focus on making at least two lists, one thin, one thick.

TH: Intro to next essay -- exemplify an abstract idea or feeling

Review of abstractions

Working with weak verbs.  Find out all about passive/active voice and expletive constructions.  Understand what these constructions are all about before coming to class today.  In class exercise.

Abstractions

Lists

Conquer and control a habitual use of weak verbs.

• Organize a thickly descriptive paragraph spatially and climactically.

• Build lists (thick and thin) into your writing.

Week 6

Sep 25-Oct 1

T:  Brief on-line quiz on sentence combining and weak verbs at the beginning of class.

Exemplification:

In Class:  Write an exemplification paragraph which adds to and develops the idea in your 2nd essay.

• 200-250 words. Not a long drawn out affair. 

• Loaded with concrete, specific details. Allowed two brief abstract/general sentences--one at beginning and one at the end.

• All sentences except for the first sentence must have strong verbs.

• Must contain a thin and a thick list. 

• Relatively free of grammatical/mechanical errors.

TH:  More work on weak verbs and vague/general/abstract nouns.

Intro to analogy -- In class exercise

Exemplification

analogy

October

Week 7

Oct 2-8

T:  Click Here to Find Assignment Description of Essay Due In-Class Today

In-class review and practice:  abstracts illustrated with concrete/specifics

TH:  Fall Holiday Starts today

Week 8
Oct 8-14

Midterm Grades Recorded by Oct 13

Week 9

Oct 15-21

T:  In-Class, Open-book, Group Quiz:

Be able to recognize and distinguish between subordinate clauses and independent clauses.  Three Groups of Conjunctions.  UThe difference between subordinate and coordinate constructions.  Simple, compound, complex.  Comma Splices, Run-on/Fused Sentences. 

TH:  Do the "More Burgers, Please" sentence combining exercise for Thursday. Click Here

Also for Thursday, Read:

• "White Trash," and "The Knife," pages 5-16 in our Academic Writing: Stepping Stones to the Professions book.
• Be ready for a quiz and an in-class exercise using these essays.

Week 10

Oct 22-28

Short Workshop Exercise using our readings. 

There may be time to work on next essay --

The Family Story.  Bring notes and in-progress work toward this framed tale:

Write up the narrative that you've heard several times from one of your relatives or friends, a story which is commonly told around the the table and family get-togethers.  You might think about calling someone who you remember has told the tale.

• 2-3 pages, double-spaced using a variety of the strategies and structures we've practiced so far this semester;
• Framed -- that is, sets the scene in which the story was told;
  • thickly descriptive
• And ends up back in that same scene after the story is told but with your present thoughts on what the story means for you and your family/friends and/or what it should mean to the reader;
  • One paragraph abstract/coda/moral which reflects on and elaborates on the significance of this tale, what it reveals about you, your family, and its values.
• Authentic dialogue complete with attempts to accurately capture the flavor and sound of the speaker, as well as, that speaker's idioms;
• Makes use of sensible sentence combining in an effort to condense and show logical movement through the descriptive;
• Keeps weak verbs under control;
• Free of grammar/mechanical problems.

TH:  Family Story Due Printed Out and in Class.  Workshop.

Week 11

Oct 29-4

Week 11

Oct 31-Nov 4

Tuesday:  Teach models comparison / contrast

Time to work in class on essay due next class period.

Thursday:  New definition essay with formal definition paragraph due.  Hardcopy in class, digital copy in digital dropbox.

Description of next essay assignment.

Workshop on coherence.

  Schedule Finished to this point

Week 12

Nov 5-11

Tuesday

Thursday

Week 13

Nov 12-18

Tuesday

Thursday