English 102 Week #1

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Welcome to English 102. By the time we finish in eight short weeks, you will be a better reader, researcher, and writer. Each week, you will be assigned four to six assignments. The assignments will be open on Canvas by noon each Monday. You have the week to complete the work. Here are a few tips:

1.       Each week there will be a Discussion Board topic. You must make your original post by midnight on Wednesday. You will then respond to at least two other student posts. You have Thursday through Sunday to post your responses. Do not skip this assignment!

2.       With the exception of this first week, all other assignments are due by midnight on Sunday of the week. This week, you must post the reactions to the syllabus by midnight on Wednesday. It counts as your official entry to the course. If you do not get this one in on time, you will be dropped from the course. (EMCC Policy)

3.       Compose in Word and copy/paste into the text box for the assignments. Google Docs and other word processing programs do not open well in Canvas. If you need a copy of Microsoft office, contact the Technology Department. You will be given the instructions for a FREE download. (It works on Apple products as well as PCs.

4.       Keep up with the assignments. I cannot accept late work. This is a fast-track class. There is much to cover in eight weeks. I do try to keep the assignments reasonable. Read the syllabus for details. (See Assignment #1)

5.       Do contact me through a Canvas message if you have questions. I promise to answer you! We may not see each other in a classroom, but we can communicate just fine on Canvas.

I am excited to teach this course.

Week #1/Assignment #1: Read and react to the syllabus. Click on the “syllabus” link that is on the left hand side of the Canvas screen. The syllabus should appear. After reading the syllabus, complete the following:

1.      List three items of interest.

2.      List three questions you have.

This may be a bulleted list, but do write complete sentences. This activity is worth 18 points.

This assignment counts as your official entry to the class. It is due by midnight on Wednesday, August 26. You must post your response in the assignment spot on Canvas. Do not send the answers by email or Canvas message attachments. I only grade work that is submitted in the correct space.

If you are having trouble, contact me in a Canvas message before 6:00 pm on Wednesday.

Week #1 Assignment #2: Introductory writing activity –

 As your English instructor, I need to know a little bit about you as a person and as a writer. If I know about your interests, I can make the assignments more meaningful. If I know about you, the writer, I can plan lessons that will help you to build on your strengths and address your areas of concern.

Think before writing – jot down a few notes.

·         Who are you as a writer?

·          What are some of your earliest memories of writing? 

·         What was your finest moment? 

·         What was the worst time you ever had as a writer? 

·          What are some of your favorite writing topics? 

·         What writing goals do you have? 

·         What are your hobbies?

·          What jobs have you had? 

·         What do you like to do in your spare time? 

·         What news topics are of interest?

·          ETC! 

You get the idea. This is an invitation to write about you and about you as a writer. Limit your remarks to 1 1/2 - 2 pages. Write complete sentences and try to be mindful of spelling and punctuation. You do NOT have to answer all of the questions. They are provided to give you an opportunity to think before writing.

Organization: You - Past, Present, Future. (One or two paragraphs on each should be plenty.)

Compose in Word. Run spell and grammar check. If possible, read your essay to somebody or to your cat if that is the only living soul available. This is a good self editing activity. You will find sentences that don’t sound quite right along with gaps that you intended to fill in.

Do not use Google Docs – the papers do not open on my end.

Do not do the typing in the assignment box. I cannot comment on your writing if you do that. I can read it, but I can’t react.

I will deduct 10 points from your grade for the assignment if you just type the essay in the text box.

Once you are satisfied, copy/paste from the Word document into the assignment space on Canvas. (Select all/Control C/ go to the assignment space and Control V)

If you need a copy of Microsoft Office, it is free to you as an EMCC student. Contact the technology department for instructions. It is all done online.

This assignment is worth 100 points. It is due by 11:59pm on August 30, 2020.

Week #1 Assignment #3 Discussion Board

For the discussion board this week, you will be talking about things that are yellow. Before you post your thoughts, take five minutes to list everything you can think of that is yellow. Write quickly. If there are others in your study area, ask them to look at and add to your list.

Start your post off with a statement about the number of items you have on your list. Some lists will be long. Other lists might be shorter. Post the five most “interesting” yellow items from your list.

Number of yellow items on the list: (5 points)

Five most interesting yellow items: (5 points) (In a sentence, explain why each item is interesting to you.)

Now comes the deep thinking part of your post. This back to a “yellow” memory and write about it.

Example: My grandmother’s kitchen was painted yellow. The walls and cabinets created a happy, sunny glow. They were a perfect reflection of my grandmother who could bake the most delicious sugar cookies on the planet. She never limited the number of cookies we could enjoy, either! The yellow dish cloths made dishwashing and drying a delightful experience! We would sing and work. There was never an unhappy moment in my grandmother’s kitchen. My grandmother, like the kitchen, was pure sunshine. I never heard her say anything negative about anybody. She made each grandchild feel like a special person. (Secretly I hoped that I was the favorite, but I think that all of my cousins and siblings were equally favored.)

I have tried to replicate the feel of that yellow kitchen in every house I have owned. I have not used paint, but I have done my best to create the sunny experiences and the pure joy and love found in Grandmother’s yellow kitchen.

Note: Your writing should flow. Just write the memory. This is a quick-write and will help you develop fluency. I took about five minutes to type my “yellow” memory.

Here is another idea starter: Some of you might fear spring in Arizona where the trees and flower are mostly yellow and bring on endless sneezes and sniffles. Others might treasure the memories of a spring drive through the desert where, instead of the usual browns, the land was dancing in yellow blossoms.

This is an invitation to write and post about something yellow. Be descriptive. Make the experience come alive. 

This part of the discussion needs to be posted by midnight on Wednesday, August 26.

You have from Wednesday to midnight on Sunday to respond to two others in the class. If someone has two reactions, look for a student who is in need of a response before reading and reacting.

Say something about the “story” about yellow. Talk to each other on the discussion board.  Be positive. Ask questions. React.

There will be one discussion board topic each week. You will always need to post by midnight on Wednesday and respond to at least two others by midnight on Sunday. Plan accordingly!

Points: 5 points for the yellow list/ 5 points for the five most interesting yellow items + sentence/ 20 for the original post / 10 for each response / Total: 50 points

Week #1 Assignment #4 Life in the Early 1900s.

 The first story you will read is "The Yellow Wallpaper." The following information will help you to understand the time period in which the story is set. The author lived and wrote is this era. 

A. View this video or research on your own to discover that life was like in the early 1900s. Pay attention to the roles of woman and the roles of men. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Xtcma9ww0 

After viewing or researching, Write a one page  summary of life in the early 1900's. Explain the good and the challenging. Also explain if you would have liked to live in that era.  (25 points)

B. What did wallpaper look like in the early 1900s? 

http://www.victoriana.com/Wallpaper/wallpaper.html

Study popular patterns and colors. You may visit additional sites. Then write a personal reaction to the designs of the era. Would you use any of the wallpaper today? Have you visited places that use that style of wallpaper? Explain. (25 points)

Week #1 Assignment #5 Get to know the author:  Charlotte Perkins Gilman

When you read "The Yellow Wallpaper" next week, you will look for items, actions, events that mirror the experiences of the author. 

For now, view the YouTube information and read the article. Then, imagine that you have been asked to summarize the life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman for the class. Select the 10 most important bits of information from her life and times to share with the class.

Post your list here on Canvas.

In conclusion, share your opinion of the author in a summary paragraph.

Points: 25 

If the links do not work by clicking, copy/paste the URL into the search space on Google, Yahoo, Bing, or other search engine.

Viewing: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02AoEDFOjV0 (Links to an external site.)

Reading:
https://connecticuthistory.org/charlotte-perkins-gilman/