Course Evaluation

Course Evaluation

Directions: This is semester evaluation of the course and it has to be anonymous (do not write your name). The purpose of this evaluation is for you to give your true comments and thoughts for this class. The following questions will help you generate your ideas. Please be candid!

1. What do you like the best about this class? Please be as detailed as possible.



2. What do you like the least about this class? Please be as detailed as possible.




3. What comments/thoughts do you have in order to improve this class (make it better)?


4. Do you feel that this class teaches you useful things? Why or why not?


5. Is your instructor understandable?



6. What can be your most unforgettable experience(s) over the semester?


7. What do you think of the textbooks, Little Brown Compact Handbook and Writing from Sources? Are they useful? Do you like them? Why or why not?


8. How can Ling 101 help you in your future writing? Or has it helped you in some way in your academic composition? If so, in what way?


9. Do you like the in-class activities? What do you like best? Why?


10. What do you think of the three essay assignments? Are they difficult? Do you enjoy writing them? How much did they help you learn the traditional American College Composition? Why?

Extra-Credit Essay Prompt

Extra-Credit Essay Prompt

Full Mark: 30
Length: 3-4 pages, double spaced
Due: at the end of class, on Friday, 05/02/08
Still, please include the following information at the left upper corner of the first page.
Example:
Mike Lee
Ling 101, Section 002
Instructor: Qian Zhou (Jane)
May 2nd, 2008
Extra-Credit Essay

In this assignment, you are going to write a traditional five-paragraph college essay to discuss “pressures of being a student.” Please come up with your own thesis and title under the topic. Afterward, three main body paragraphs will explain the reasons why you have proposed such a theme. Last, your conclusion will reinforce the thesis. Plus, please pay attention to the transitions between sentences and paragraphs.

Portfolio Prompt

Portfolio Prompt

Dear Class,
A portfolio is required for this class, in which, the following items must be included:
v Syllabus (1)
v Tentative Weekly Schedules (4)
v Handouts (Materials provided in class throughout the semester including “Homework Instruction Sheet”)
v Journals (1-5)
v Note cards (22)
v Other Homework Writing (14)
v Peer-Response Forms (3)
v Three essays including both first and final drafts
v Self-Assessment Summary (1)
v All the other materials related with Ling 101 (e.g. Writing Center brochure)
Criteria for this Folder/Binder:
· Must be organized by types
· Must include dividers to separate different types of documents
· Needs to be neat, presentable and easy to read

All the paperwork related with Ling 101 must be included and sorted out in this portfolio.
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Friday, May 2nd, 2008.
**A well-organized folder/binder is worth 50 points. **

Good luck!
Jane

Self-Assessment Summary Prompt

Self-Assessment Summary Prompt

In this assignment, you are going to write a self-commentary, reflecting on your writing progress over the semester and your goals for your future academic writing. This writing is worth 20 points.
You might want to write your self-commentary based on the following questions:
1. What have you learned from Linguistics 101?
2. Will you apply what you have learned from this class to other classes? And How?
3. How can this class help you write in your future classes?
4. Has your writing improved? In what aspects? (Grammar, vocabulary, focus, organization, etc.)
5. Do you think you are a better writer compared to the first day you came to Ling 101 class? In what way?
6. Which writing assignment did you like best? Why?
7. Which writing assignment was most “painful” to you? Why? Did you gain something after that bitter experience?
8. What did you like the most about this class?
9. What did you like the least about this class?
10. What strength(s) in English composition do you think you have gained, developed or enhanced over the semester?

**I would want you to use transitions to smoothly convey your ideas within one paragraph by coherently including all your answers to the above questions rather than separately giving your answers under each question number.**

Synthesizing Multiple Sources

Synthesizing Multiple Sources

Once you have found and read your sources and discovered their similarities and differences, you then reassemble (put together) these parts into a more coherent whole.
We call this process “synthesis.”
To synthesize is to combine two or more distinct items into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
To synthesize sources in a research project/essay is to combine the ideas of multiple sources, as well as your own ideas and insight, into a paper that develops a single thesis.
The following guidelines will help you to synthesize sources successfully.
(Adapted from: http:// www.snow.edu/~jeffc/write/rhetoric/synthesis.html)
1. Narrow down your focus. Ask yourself what is the main point that you are going to make in your essay. Do not try to synthesize everything that your sources have written/said. Instead, choose a single, narrowly-focused idea that each of your sources develops in some way. Bring together only the information that refers to that idea. Omit extraneous (not directly connected to your focus) information.
2. Choose a source’s ideas that relate to or can help develop your focus. It is up to you as the writer to determine the extent to which each source’s ideas that match your focus. Indeed, the most successful writers are those who can both perceive and explain a relationship between sources that might otherwise seem unrelated.
3. A key to any synthesis is your ability to use transitional words and phrases to help your readers see the relationship between ideas. Words like “furthermore,” “moreover,” and “likewise” all indicate the similarity between one set of ideas and another. The phrase “for example” can show that one set of ideas illustrates another. Please refer to our handouts for transitions.
4. The following illustrates the organization of a typical synthesis:

Source 1
Summarize your first source’s attitude or point of view
Source 2
Summarize your second source’s attitude or point of view
Source 3
Summarize your third source’s attitude or point of view
Source 4
Summarize your fourth source’s attitude or point of view








Synthesis is also a term that describes a connection between sources. Here are some examples of these connections:
(Taken from: http://personal.bgsu.edu/~florenb/portfolio/synthesis.pdf)

Two (or more) sources that agree:
…Simpson concludes that listening to rock music can alter the way an adolescent fits into normal society (p.402). Jerry Roberts, child psychologist and author of “Vanilla Ice IS the Devil,” agrees, stating “Rock music is the boon of youth. Our future has long, shaggy hair, black eyeliner, and leather boots. Is this what we’ve been working for?” (p. 333)

Two (or more) sources that disagree:
…While Consumer Reports claims that food can be healthy (p. 223), others believe their definition of “healthy” is somewhat skewed. J.M.Clark, a nutritionist and undercover fry cook at Hardee’s, in his article entitled “Hey Man, No Go” from Greasy Spoon magazine, disagrees. He states, “Fast food is good only for the economy of the small business. ‘Healthy’ not only implies a lack of harm, but also some nutritional value. Fast food is not nutritious” (pp.111-112).

One (or more) sources that expands the ideas of or provides an example for another:
…Wartman states that the film Gladiator is cheap entertainment thinly veiled as art (p.14-21). Wartman is correct, but he does not go far enough. Geronimo Siskbert, move critic for The BG News, elaborates in her review, “Sadiator.” She claims that not only does the film do the things Wartman says, but much more, nothing, “Ridley Scott’s movie cheats its audience by using sub-par actors, then wastes the talents of Russell Crowe by restricting his dialogue and turning the movie into hard R-rated WWF” (p.11D).

###Each source is properly cited, with the author introduced and source qualified for the initial citation. Also keep in mind that these examples are simple, and that you can include more sources or text in between your citations, as long as the connection is made with clear transitions (i.e., agrees, disagrees, insists, etc.) which show why and how you are connecting them in the first place.###

In-text Citation for Personal Communication

In-text Citation for Personal Communication

Personal communications include letters, memos, emails, personal interviews, telephone conversations. Because they do not provide recoverable date, personal communications are not included in the reference list.
We cite personal communications in text only. Give the initial as well as the surname of the communicator, and provide as exact a date as possible:
J. Clarkson, a graduate student majoring in Fashion Merchandising at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (personal communication, April 8th, 2007) prefers to cram the night before a final exam. “I don’t know why my brain works very well the night before the final exam,” she says smiling, “That’s why I really like staying up late.”
Even though Clarkson likes to cram, she opposes the idea of using stimulants, saying they are harmful to students’ health.

Peer-Response Form: Multiple-Source Essay

Peer-Response Form: Multiple-Source Essay

Writer’s Name: ___________________________________________________________
Reviewer’s Name: _________________________________________________________
Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your partner’s draft and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Be sure to read the entire essay carefully before writing any responses. Be as specific as possible by referring to particular parts of the essay in your answers. Make sure you are polite and considerate as well.
1. Is there an introduction in your partner’s essay? What do you think of his/her introduction? Did he/she clearly present the summary of James T. Hamilton’s article? How do you like the summary? (at least 4 sentences)










2. Did your classmate clearly support and expand his/her thesis statement with concrete reasons?





3. How well did your classmate present each source’s position?



4. Did your classmate cite the sources accurately in the body paragraphs? Please give two examples and provide suggestions for him/her.






5. How well did your classmate use quotation, summary and paraphrase? Did he/she overuse them? Do you have any suggestions for him or her?






6. How is the organization of the essay? In what way do you believe so?









7. How do you like his/her thesis? Why?







8. Are there smooth transitions between concrete points/sentences in a paragraph? Between paragraphs? Point out any places where transitions need to be stronger.







9. Did the conclusion reinforce the thesis statement?







10. Did your classmate use the personal pronouns “I”, “You”, or “We” in the paragraphs before his/her conclusion? If so, please cite the examples below and tell him/her to change.






11. Check your classmates’ reference list. Was it accurately documented?








12. Write a few comments to your classmate. Start with what he/she did very well in the essay and then discuss what you think needs more work. Please be polite!

Multiple-Source Essay: Final Draft

Multiple-Source Essay
Final Draft

Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________________

Poor
Adequate
Fair
Very Good
Excellent
Total

Logical development and connection of ideas- 40% ( 48 points)
Lack of development and connection of ideas(1-27p)
Minimally developed ideas; no apparent connection(28-32p)
Some ideas are developed but still lack further development and connection (33-37p)
Ideas are well developed and connected (38-42p)
Excellent and thorough development and connection of ideas (43-48p)


Organization(Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion)- 20% ( 24 points)
Absence of introduction or conclusion; no apparent organization of main body (1-13p)
Minimally recognized introduction; organization can be barely seen; severe problems with organization of ideas(14-15p)
Average introduction or conclusion; problems with the organization of ideas in the main body (16-18p)
Introduction and conclusion meet the criteria; main body but still lacks development(19-20p)
Excellent introduction and conclusion; ideas are clear, have a good transition and are well developed (21-24p)






Grammar-15% (18 points)
Severe grammar problems interfere greatly with the writer’s ideas (1-9p)
Numerous serious grammar problems that interfere with the writer’s ideas (10-11p)
Ideas are getting through to the reader, but grammar problems are apparent and have a negative effect on the writer’s ideas (12-13p)
Advanced use of grammar, a few grammatical problems but do not interfere with the writer’s ideas (14-15p)
Native-like use of grammar, no fragments or run-on sentences (16-18p)







Punctuation, spelling and mechanics-15% (18p)
Complete disregard for English writing convention; paper illegible(1-9p)
Serious problems with format of paper; parts of essay not legible (10-11p)
Uses general writing conventions but has errors; spelling problems and punctuation interfere with ideas (12-13p)
A few problems with writing conventions or punctuation but paper is still neat(14-15p)
Correct use of English writing conventions and punctuation (16-18p)



Style and quality expression-10% (12p)
Inappropriate use of vocabulary; no concept of register or sentence variety (1-6p)
Poor expression of ideas; problems in vocabulary; lacks variety of structures (7p)
Some vocabulary misused; lacks awareness of register; may be too wordy (8p)
Attempts variety; good vocabulary; style fairly concise(9p)

Precise vocabulary usage; use of parallel structures (10-12p)

Total (Max. 120p)







Additional Comments:

Multiple-Source Essay Rubric: First Draft

Multiple-Source Essay
First Draft

Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________________

Poor
Good
Excellent
Total
Introduction & Conclusion
(10 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are not clear-need more work (1-3 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are quite good but still need some improvement (4-7 points)
Excellent Introduction and Conclusion( 8-10 points)

Thesis Statement (15 points)
The thesis statement does not exist or is unclear (0-8 points)
The thesis statement is fine but still needs some clarification or improvement (9-12 points)
Excellent thesis statement (13-15 points)

Main-body paragraphs
(20 points)
The main body paragraphs are not related to the thesis statement and/or do not carry only one idea each (1-11 points)
The main-body paragraphs are good but some of them need clarification and/or development (12-17 points)
The main-body paragraphs support the thesis statement (18-20 points)

Use of sources (20 points)
Does not use all sources; sources are not related to the thesis statement (1-11 points)
Somewhat use of sources; somewhat related to the thesis statement (12-17 points)
Use of all sources; they are connected to each other and related to the thesis (18-20 points)

Use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (15 points)
No or hardly any use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (1-8 points)
Somewhat use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (9-12 points)
Excellent use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (13-15 points)

Total (max 80 points)





Additional Comments:

Multiple-Source Essay Prompt

Multiple-Source Essay Prompt

Here comes your last essay writing assignment. In this task, you are going to write a Multiple-Source Essay under the same topic “TV Violence” as you did in the Single-Source Essay. Likewise, you are going to respond to the same article entitled “The Market for Television Violence” by James T. Hamilton by either supporting or opposing his proposition. You will be expected to analyze and synthesize the multiple sources that you have found and present your sources’ points of view to your readers. You should treat your sources as a form of evidence and cite them whenever they are relevant. A balance between your own ideas and those of your sources needs to be shown. Five more sources other than the original are required to facilitate your argumentation in the essay.

Here are the guidelines for writing the multiple-source essay:

1. Keep the same thesis in the single-source essay unless you would want to change it
2. Add the synthesis paragraph before your thesis
3. The article provided is taken as the main source, of which, your analysis will be conducted. On the other hand, the other five sources are considered as assisting evidences for you to testify your argument.
4. Cite and utilize both the article and the other five sources in the main body so as to illustrate or elaborate your reasons to prove your thesis
5. Remember to include both the in-text citations and “References” page in your essay
6. Personal pronouns, “I”, “We”, “You” and their corresponding possessive pronouns, “my”, “our” and “your”, “mine”, “ours”, and “yours” CANNOT show up before conclusion.

Essay Structure:

Introduction & Summary (1st Paragraph)-

· An introduction of ONE or TWO sentences to lead your audience into the topic of “TV Violence”
· Summary of the article in THREE to FOUR sentences with the author’s viewpoint clearly presented in your own words

Evidences or arguments for the author’s standpoint (2nd Paragraph)-

· Presenting the author’s evidences/arguments/analysis to support his point of view in your own words

Synthesis of Five Other Sources (3rd Paragraph)-

· A coherent combination of the five relevant sources with their main ideas and precise citations lucidly presented
Thesis (4th Paragraph) - ONE or TWO sentences

· Presenting your own point of view responding to the author’s by NOT using the first and second persons “I”, “We” and “You.”

Main Body (5th, 6th and 7th Paragraph)-

· Fifth Paragraph-
The first supporting paragraph to your thesis with the topic sentence shown in the beginning and
the sources cited in the paragraph (paraphrasing/summarizing/quoting)

· Sixth Paragraph-
The second supporting paragraph to your thesis with transition and the topic sentence shown in the beginning and the sources cited in the paragraph (paraphrasing/summarizing/quoting)

· Seventh Paragraph-
The third supporting paragraph to your thesis with transition and the topic sentence shown in the beginning and the sources cited in the paragraph (paraphrasing/summarizing/quoting)

Conclusion (8th Paragraph)-

· A concise and sound ending paragraph that reinforces your thesis

References (a new page)-

· Use APA format to document your sources (6 or more)

While you are writing, be sure to do the following:

§ Wherever appropriate, use summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting
§ Clearly present your position in your thesis
§ Organize your paragraphs in a logical order
§ Use APA format to cite your sources

Your essay will be evaluated based on how well you: (1) present, articulate, and support your ideas (2) engage with the source materials (3) control the organization and flow of the essay (4) construct clear and balanced sentences (5) polish and edit.

First Draft (Two Copies)-Due at the beginning of class, on Friday, 04/18/08
Final Draft (Two Copies)-Due at the beginning of class, on Friday, 04/25/08
Attention: Only the work handed in on time will be counted as valid. Late essays WILL NOT be accepted for this assignment, which will objectively result in your losing of the total points for each draft.

Ø Length: 4-5 pages
Ø Add your synthesis paragraph before your thesis
Ø No “I”, “We” or “You” can be used before conclusion
Ø Incorporate the five other sources in your body paragraphs

Essay Format:

Your two drafts must:
1. be typed, double–spaced, numbered and printed
*Please put the page number at the right upper corner of each page.*
2. have one-inch margins on all sides
3. be stapled at the left upper corner of the pages
4. use 12-point font size and “Times New Roman” font style
5. include your name, course number, instructor’s name, the date, and the subject on the left upper corner of the first page.

Example: Mike Lee
Ling 101
Instructor: Qian Zhou (Jane)
April 18th, 2008
Multiple-Source Essay, First Draft

**Please follow the above instructions when composing and formatting your essay; otherwise, the writings with a disordered structure and an incorrect format WILL BE REJECTED. **














Essay Rubrics:


Multiple-Source Essay
First Draft
Student’s Name: __________________________________________________________________

Poor
Good
Excellent
Total
Introduction & Conclusion
(10 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are not clear-need more work (1-3 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are quite good but still need some improvement (4-7 points)
Excellent Introduction and Conclusion( 8-10 points)

Thesis Statement (15 points)
The thesis statement does not exist or is unclear (0-8 points)
The thesis statement is fine but still needs some clarification or improvement (9-12 points)
Excellent thesis statement (13-15 points)

Main-body paragraphs
(20 points)
The main body paragraphs are not related to the thesis statement and/or do not carry only one idea each (1-11 points)
The main-body paragraphs are good but some of them need clarification and/or development (12-17 points)
The main-body paragraphs support the thesis statement (18-20 points)

Use of sources (20 points)
Does not use all sources; sources are not related to the thesis statement (1-11 points)
Somewhat use of sources; somewhat related to the thesis statement (12-17 points)
Use of all sources; they are connected to each other and related to the thesis (18-20 points)

Use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (15 points)
No or hardly any use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (1-8 points)
Somewhat use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (9-12 points)
Excellent use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (13-15 points)

Total (max 80 points)





Additional Comments:
Multiple-Source Essay
Final Draft
Student’s Name: __________________________________________________________________

Poor
Adequate
Fair
Very Good
Excellent
Total

Logical development and connection of ideas- 40% ( 48 points)
Lack of development and connection of ideas(1-27p)
Minimally developed ideas; no apparent connection(28-32p)
Some ideas are developed but still lack further development and connection (33-37p)
Ideas are well developed and connected (38-42p)
Excellent and thorough development and connection of ideas (43-48p)


Organization(Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion)- 20% ( 24 points)
Absence of introduction or conclusion; no apparent organization of main body (1-13p)
Minimally recognized introduction; organization can be barely seen; severe problems with organization of ideas(14-15p)
Average introduction or conclusion; problems with the organization of ideas in the main body (16-18p)
Introduction and conclusion meet the criteria; main body but still lacks development(19-20p)
Excellent introduction and conclusion; ideas are clear, have a good transition and are well developed (21-24p)






Grammar-15% (18 points)
Severe grammar problems interfere greatly with the writer’s ideas (1-9p)
Numerous serious grammar problems that interfere with the writer’s ideas (10-11p)
Ideas are getting through to the reader, but grammar problems are apparent and have a negative effect on the writer’s ideas (12-13p)
Advanced use of grammar, a few grammatical problems but do not interfere with the writer’s ideas (14-15p)
Native-like use of grammar, no fragments or run-on sentences (16-18p)




Punctuation, spelling and mechanics-15% (18p)
Complete disregard for English writing convention; paper illegible(1-9p)
Serious problems with format of paper; parts of essay not legible (10-11p)
Uses general writing conventions but has errors; spelling problems and punctuation interfere with ideas (12-13p)
A few problems with writing conventions or punctuation but paper is still neat(14-15p)
Correct use of English writing conventions and punctuation (16-18p)



Style and quality expression-10% (12p)
Inappropriate use of vocabulary; no concept of register or sentence variety (1-6p)
Poor expression of ideas; problems in vocabulary; lacks variety of structures (7p)
Some vocabulary misused; lacks awareness of register; may be too wordy (8p)
Attempts variety; good vocabulary; style fairly concise(9p)

Precise vocabulary usage; use of parallel structures (10-12p)

Total (Max. 120p)







Additional Comments:

Single-Source Essay
First Draft

Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________________

Poor
Good
Excellent
Total
Introduction & Conclusion
(10 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are not clear-need more work (1-3 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are quite good but still need some improvement (4-7 points)
Excellent Introduction and Conclusion( 8-10 points)

Thesis Statement (15 points)
The thesis statement does not exist or is unclear (1-8 points)
The thesis statement is fine but still needs some clarification or improvement (9-12 points)
Excellent thesis statement (13-15 points)

Main-body paragraphs
(20 points)
The main body paragraphs are not related to the thesis statement and/or do not carry only one idea each (1-11 points)
The main-body paragraphs are good but some of them need clarification and/or development (12-17 points)
The main-body paragraphs support the thesis statement (18-20 points)

Use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (15 points)
No or hardly any use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (1-8 points)
Somewhat use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (9-12 points)
Excellent use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (13-15 points)

Total (max 60 points)





Additional Comments:

Single-Source Essay Rubric: Final Draft

Single-Source Essay Rubric
Final Draft

Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________________

Poor
Adequate
Fair
Very Good
Excellent
Total

Logical development and connection of ideas- ( 36 points)
Lack of development and connection of ideas(1-11p)
Minimally developed ideas; no apparent connection(12-19p)
Some ideas are developed but still lacks further development and connection (20-24p)
Ideas are well developed and connected (25-29p)
Excellent and thorough development and connection of ideas (30-36p)


Organization(Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion)- ( 18 points)
Absence of introduction or conclusion; no apparent organization of main body (1-2p)
Minimally recognized introduction; organization can be barely seen; severe problems with organization of ideas(3-4p)
Average introduction or conclusion; problems with the organization of ideas in the main body (5-10p)
Introduction and conclusion meet the criteria; main body but still lacks development(11-14p)
Excellent introduction and conclusion; ideas are clear, have a good transition and are well developed (15-18p)






Grammar (13 points)
Severe grammar problems interfere greatly with the writer’s ideas (1-2p)
Numerous serious grammar problems that interfere with the writer’s ideas (3-4p)
Ideas are getting through to the reader, but grammar problems are apparent and have a negative effect on the writer’s ideas(5-8p)
Advanced use of grammar, a few grammatical problems but do not interfere with the writer’s ideas (9-10p)
Native-like use of grammar, no fragments or run-on sentences (11-13p)







Punctuation, spelling and mechanics (13p)
Complete disregard for English writing convention; paper illegible(1-2p)
Serious problems with format of paper; parts of essay not legible (3-4p)
Uses general writing conventions but has errors; spelling problems and punctuation interfere with ideas (5-8p)
A few problems with writing conventions or punctuation but paper is still neat(9-10p)
Correct use of English writing conventions and punctuation (11-13p)



Style and quality expression (10p)
Inappropriate use of vocabulary; no concept of register or sentence variety (1p)
Poor expression of ideas; problems in vocabulary; lacks variety of structures (2-3p)
Some vocabulary misused; lacks awareness of register; may be too wordy (4-5p)
Attempts variety; good vocabulary; style fairly concise(6-8p)

Precise vocabulary usage; use of parallel structures (9-10p)

Total (Max. 90p)







Additional Comments:

Peer-Response Form: Single-source Essay

Peer-Response Form: Single-source Essay

Writer’s Name: ___________________________________________________________
Reviewer’s Name: _________________________________________________________

Your purpose in answering these questions is to provide an honest and helpful response to your partner’s draft and to suggest ways to make his/her writing better. Be sure to read the entire essay carefully before writing any responses. Be as specific as possible by referring to particular parts of the essay in your answers. Make sure you are polite and considerate as well.

1. In your own words, write what this essay is about (at least 4 sentences).










2. Does the writer support or oppose the source’s opinion? Are his/her arguments strong? Why or why not?










3. What do you like the most about this essay?












4. Does this essay have a thesis statement? If yes, copy it down. Does the thesis statement include the writer’s argument?









5. What parts of the essay need to add more details so that the readers can understand it better?









6. Check the statements with which you agree the most:
v Each paragraph discusses only one idea and everything in the paragraph is related to that specific idea.
v Some paragraphs are confusing because they seem to be about more than one idea. I marked them with an *
v Your writing seems to be all in one paragraph. I cannot tell where you start discussing a new idea.
v You have used transitions well in your essay.
v Your essay needs more transitions to connect all the ideas better.
v You used paraphrase, summary and quotation effectively and wherever appropriate.
v Paraphrase, summary and quotation were not used very effectively.

7. Write a few comments to your classmate. Start with what he/she did very well in the essay and then, discuss what you think needs more work. Please be polite!

Supporting Group

Welcome to the Supporting Group!



Topic: Technology has brought many advantages to our society nowadays.

Your task as a group: Since you are members of the “Supporting Group,” your task is to come up with points that support the topic. Try to think of what advantages technology has given us and how these advantages have made our lives better and easier. Write all of your points down on a piece of paper. You have 20 minutes for this task.

Presentation of your points: You will have to present to and defend your points against the other team.

Hint: try to find strong arguments in order to become more convincing than the other team.



Good luck!

Welcome to the Opposing Group!



Topic: Technology has brought many advantages to our society nowadays.

Your task as a group: Since you are members of the “Opposing Group,” your task is to come up with points that oppose (go against; do not support) the topic. Try to think of what disadvantages technology has given us and how these disadvantages have impacted our lives in a bad way. Write all of your points down on a piece of paper. You have 20 minutes for this task.

Presentation of your points: You will have to present to and defend your points against the other team.

Hint: try to find strong arguments in order to become more convincing than the other team.



Good luck!

Finding & Evaluating Sources

Finding & Evaluating Sources

Finding Sources:

1. What are the stages in preliminary research? (p.314)
2. What are the most common kinds of sources? (p.314)
3. What is database? How can we access a database? (p.315)
4. How can computers help us locate/search for relevant sources? ( p.315)
5. How can we use computers to locate/search for books? (pp. 318-325)
6. How can we use computers to locate/search for periodical articles? (pp.325-329)
7. How can we use computers to locate web sites? (pp.329-334)
8. How can we use computer searches to locate images? (pp.334-336)
9. What are the steps in managing computer searches? (p.333)
10. What are the other sources we could possibly find on the Internet other than those mentioned above such as books, periodicals, images etc.? (pp.336-337)
11. How are we going to manage the situation if we want to use interviews as our source? (pp.337-340)
12. How are we going to manage the situation if we want to use field researches as our source? (pp.340-345)

Evaluating Sources:

1. What is the difference between “locating sources” and “choosing sources?” (p.359)
2. What are the elements/factors we need to take into account when evaluating print sources? What do they mean specifically? (pp.360-366)
3. What are the elements/factors we need to consider when evaluating web sources? (pp.366-370)
4. What are the items we need to pay attention to when choosing sources? (p.379)

Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Sources
(For Research Papers)

· It’s not enough just to find sources; you need to ask both specific as well as general questions to determine whether your source answers your research question(s).
· There are four questions to ask when evaluating sources:

1. How well does the source answer the research question(s)?
2. Is the information provided by an expert?
3. Is the source valid (based on truth or reason; able to be accepted)?
4. Is there a variety of sources?
How well does the source answer the research question(s)?
· The way you decide if the source has appropriate information for you is by consulting the table of contents and indexes in a book; in an article read the captions under pictures and diagrams, and then read the first sentence of every paragraph.
· For example, if you’ve asked how an emigrant group has changed the culture of your particular community, a general magazine article on recent emigrants from Europe may not answer that question directly.
Is the information provided by an expert?
· You want to consider your sources’ credentials. A person who has considerable experience and training in an area is an expert. That expert’s informed opinion can greatly substantiate (to support with facts) your point of view.
· For instance, if your research question asks about the safest way to dispose of (to get rid of) medical waste, your uncle, who works in hospital maintenance and has an opinion on everything, may tell you stories about what he’s seen, but he should not be regarded as an expert in the field of medical waste disposal. As a source, his usefulness is limited.
Is the source valid?
· Is the information presented objectively from an unbiased viewpoint? Do you, for example, accept a claim from the National Association of Tobacco Growers that nicotine is not an addictive drug?
· Do the authors let you know their sources of information? Be careful of a newspaper article that attributes a quote to “an informed source” without telling the reader who that source is.
· Do the authors let you know their research methods as well as results? You may want to think twice about using a source that claims that 9 out of 10 doctors recommend surgery for dimples when you don’t know how many or what kind of doctors they surveyed.
· Is the research current if currency is important? If you’re writing a paper on nuclear waste disposal, a report written in 1952 is not valid.
· You need to ask all of these questions to make sure that your sources are good ones to use.
Is there a variety of sources?
· Another thing to keep in mind is that you want to collect a variety of perspectives and opinions on your topic. Therefore, you won’t want to rely too heavily on one author, or look for materials on just one aspect of your topic.
· For example, if you are comparing the leadership styles of George W. Bush and late Ronald Reagan, you don’t want to use five books by the same author. On the contrary, you might want to use many sources that write about Bush and Reagan.
(Taken from: http://www.esc.edu/htmlpages/writerold/menue.htm)

Homework (assigned on F, 04/04/08; due on M, 04/07/08)

Homework (assigned on F, 04/04/08; due on M, 04/07/08)

1. ① Find 10 other sources on the topic of Single-source Essay, with 7 supporting and 3 opposing the author’s point of view.
② Organize each source by presenting its title, author and the Web address.
③ Put all the information on a piece of paper.
*The websites listed in “Exercise 27: Choosing Internet Sources” on p. 384, in Writing from Sources may help you as well.*

2. Revise your first draft of the single-source essay and submit two copies of the final draft on Monday, 04/07/08.

Homework (assigned on W, 04/02/08; due on F, 04/04/08)

Homework (assigned on W, 04/02/08; due on F, 04/04/08)

1. Read and preview “7 Finding Sources,” on pp. 305-312, pp. 314-353, in WS;
2. Read and preview “8 Evaluating Sources,” on pp. 359-371, in WS;
*Pay attention to the table entitled “Choosing Sources” on p. 379 of WS.*
3. Write a note card on the two readings.

Homework (assigned on Monday, 03/31/08; due on Wednesday, 04/02/08)

Homework (assigned on Monday, 03/31/08; due on Wednesday, 04/02/08)

1. Read “ 6 The Multiple-Source Essay,” on pp. 241-253, in your textbook, Writing from Sources;
2. Write a note card on the reading.

Single-Source Essay Prompt: First Draft

Single-Source Essay Prompt
First Draft

In this assignment, you are going to write a single-source essay in which you will respond to the article entitled “The Market for Television Violence” by James T. Hamilton. You should treat your source as a form of evidence and cite it whenever it is relevant. A balance between your own idea and that of your source needs to be shown.

Here are the guidelines for writing the single-source essay:

1. Read the article carefully. You might need to read it two to three times to make sure that you understand the article.
2. Find the main ideas of the article by underlining, annotating and asking questions of the text.
3. Present your source’s point of view without offering your comments or ideas by using a combination of quotation, paraphrase, and summary. Your source’s point of view will be presented in the first paragraph of your essay.
4. In the next paragraph, you should analyze and present some of the basic principles that imply (express or state indirectly) the author’s position on this issue.
5. In the third paragraph and the paragraphs that follow, you should present your own standpoint responding to that of the source. To do so, you need to come up with your reasons (at least three) for supporting or disagreeing with the source.
6. Take a firm position in your essay- support or argue against the writer’s viewpoint.

Essay Structure:

Introduction with Your Summary (1st Paragraph)-
· One to two sentences to lead your audience into the topic
· Summary of the article in three to four sentences with the author’s viewpoint clearly presented in your own words

Evidences or arguments for the author’s standpoint (2nd Paragraph)-
· Presenting the author’s evidences/arguments/analysis in supporting his point of view in your own words

Your Thesis (3rd Paragraph)- One or two sentences
· Presenting your own viewpoint on this issue responding to the author’s by NOT using the first person “I” or “We” and the second person “You” as well.

Main Body (4th, 5th and 6th Paragraph)-
· Fourth Paragraph-
The first supporting paragraph to back your thesis with the topic sentence showing up in the beginning
· Fifth Paragraph-
The second supporting paragraph to back your thesis with transition and the topic sentence showing up in the beginning
· Sixth Paragraph-
The third supporting paragraph to back your thesis with transition and the topic sentence showing up in the beginning

Conclusion (7th Paragraph)-
· A concise and sound ending paragraph that reinforces your thesis

Reference (a new page)-
· Use APA format to document your source(s)

While you are writing, be sure to do the following:
§ Give an overview of your argument, including the main points
§ Where appropriate, use summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting
§ Clearly present your readers with your position
§ Present a clear thesis statement for your essay and offer strong support afterward
§ Organize your paragraphs in a logical way and each of them has to be clear and concise
§ Use APA format to cite and document your source(s)

Your essay will be evaluated based on how well you: (1) present, articulate, and support your ideas (2) engage with the source material (3) control the organization and flow of the essay (4) construct clear and balanced sentences (5) polish and edit.

First Draft-Two Copies, due at the beginning of class, on Monday, 03/31/08
Ø Length: 3-4 pages
Ø Writing the summary of the article at the beginning of the essay
Ø Analyzing the main ideas of the article in your own words
Ø Giving your thesis statement and supporting paragraphs without using “I” or “We”
Ø Rephrase your thesis in conclusion with “I” or “We” possibly used

Essay Format:
Your first draft must:
1. be typed, double–spaced and numbered
*Please put the page number at the right upper corner of each page.*
2. have one-inch margins on all sides
3. be stapled at the left upper corner of the pages
4. use “Times New Roman” font style and 12-point font size
5. include your name, course number, instructor’s name, the date, and the assignment type on the left upper corner of the first page.

Example: Mike Lee
Ling 101
Instructor: Qian Zhou (Jane)
March 31st, 2008
Single-source Essay, First Draft

Essay Rubric:

Single-Source Essay
First Draft
Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________________


Poor
Good
Excellent
Total
Introduction & Conclusion
(10 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are not clear-need more work (1-3 points)
Introduction and Conclusion are quite good but still need some improvement (4-7 points)
Excellent Introduction and Conclusion( 8-10 points)

Thesis Statement (15 points)
The thesis statement does not exist or is unclear (1-8 points)
The thesis statement is fine but still needs some clarification or improvement (9-12 points)
Excellent thesis statement (13-15 points)

Main-body paragraphs
(20 points)
The main body paragraphs are not related to the thesis statement and/or do not carry only one idea each (1-11 points)
The main-body paragraphs are good but some of them need clarification and/or development (12-17 points)
The main-body paragraphs support the thesis statement (18-20 points)

Use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (15 points)
No or hardly any use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (1-8 points)
Somewhat use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (9-12 points)
Excellent use of quotation, summary and paraphrase (13-15 points)

Total (max 60 points)





Additional Comments:

Exercise 8: Quoting Correctly (p. 107, WS)

A. 1. “The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty,” remarked the boxer Mahommad Ali, “has wasted thirty years of his life.” [Even better, put the attribution at the beginning, and run the entire quotation together.]

2. Do you agree with Jerry Seinfeld that “a bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking”?

3. “Three may keep a secret,” Benjamin Franklin cynically remarked, “if two of them are dead.”

4. “A fool learns from his experiences,” said Otto von Bismarck. The German chancellor tells us that “a wise person learns from the experience of others.” [There’s really no need for two attributions. Begin the single sentence with “According to the German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck…”]

5. The American historian Barbara Tuchman wrote about the ineptitude of generals, arguing that “the power to command frequently causes failure to think.”

6. Ralph Waldo Emerson warned his readers that “life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy.”

7. Donald Trump once offered this advice: “There’s the old story about the boxer after a fight who said: ‘That wasn’t so tough. What was really tough was my father hitting me on the head with a hammer.’”

8. Before the Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry made a passionate speech: “Is life so dear or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

B. In correcting the second part of this exercise, besides looking for technical errors of punctuation and awkward phrasing, you should also check for accurate transcription of the quotation and thus begin a campaign against sloppy transcription of sentences. Also check to see whether quotations have been chosen that are appropriate for separated or integrated presentation: quotations beginning with “I” are best separated by punctuation from the citation (sentences 1, 2, and 5). For these sentences, the student should invent an appropriate comment for the citation: A British colonel observed the horror of battle in World War I: “I’ve seen…” or Vladimir Chaloupka is, on balance, negative about mankind’s potential misuse of technology: “I’m basically an optimist….” In the third part of the exercise, the interrupted quotation, you will probably notice that a few students have mangled the original statement by breaking into it at the wrong place. Sentences 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 can be decently interrupted midway, and 3 is actually the best choice (with the interruption coming directly after “Assisi”). Finally-a point covered later in the chapter-the name of the source should be complete and should be properly spelled.

Homework (assigned on M, 03/24/08; due on W, 03/26/08)

Homework (assigned on M, 03/24/08; due on W, 03/26/08)

1. Read and understand the Single-source Essay Prompt.

2. ①Preview “APA Documentation and Format,” on pp. 447-462, in LBH;
② Write a note card on the reading.

3. (Optional, resulting in earning of 5 extra points)
① Read “5 The Single-Source Essay,” on pp. 167-175, “STRATEGY ONE: ARGUING AGAINST YOUR SOURCE” and pp. 193-199, “STRATEGY TWO: DEVELOPING AN ESSAY BASED ON A SOURCE” in WS;
②Write a note card on the reading.

Homework (assigned on W, 03/26/08; due on F, 03/28/08)

Homework (assigned on W, 03/26/08; due on F, 03/28/08)

1. Read and study APA parenthetical in-text citation, on pp. 447-451, in LBH;
2. Write a note card on the reading.

Homework (assigned on M, 03/17/08; due on W, 03/19/08)

Homework (assigned on M, 03/17/08; due on W, 03/19/08)

1. Do “Exercise 14: IDENTIFYING A GOOD PARAPHRASE” on p.144 of your textbook, Writing from Sources.
-From “Evolution, Males, and Violence,” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, by David Barash
2. Finish the handout exercises.

Homework (assigned on F, 03/21/08; due on M, 03/24/08)

Homework (assigned on F, 03/21/08; due on M, 03/24/08)

1. Review “3 Quoting Sources” on pp.96-107, in Writing from Sources and the handouts on “quotation” and “Citation.”
2. Read and study “WRITING CITATIONS” on p.115 of your textbook, Writing from Sources.
3. Read and understand the provided article “TV Violence.”
4. Write a note card on the three subjects: quotation, citation and the provided article.

Analysis and Reference Summary of “Against School” by John Gatto

Gatto: An aura of paranoia seems to pervade Gatto’s angry, impressioned plea for changes to America’s educational system; as part of his argument, he tries to convince us that we are pawns in a gigantic plot. Gatto identifies with the students whose lives, he believes, have been ruined by some monstrous entity-“corporate society”? ----that tries to grind children down until they become docile, robotic creatures. His presentation-particularly toward the end-is facile and ideological; it can be hard to accept his unexplained, unsupported assertions. For example, is the purpose of tracking students necessarily the elimination of the inferior ones, or can one interpret it as one way of maintaining a meritocracy? A good summary should refer to Gatto’s scattershot method of argument. One might also question the accuracy of his paraphrases. Inglis’s list of educational purposes, for example, might be presented quite differently by a more conservative commentator. It is a loaded topic.

1. Schools are filled with bored students, who find the work dull and repetitive, and bored teachers, who lack the motivation and the knowledge to make the work interesting. Neither students nor teachers know how to think for themselves.
2. America’s educational system is a rigid structure in which schools serve as a prison and a training ground for children.
3. The solution to apathy in the schools is to do away with the structure-schedules, tests, and (one infers) uniform curriculum-and instead provide freedom to explore, with teachers on hand to provide knowledgeable guidance.
4. There are two additional arguments for eliminating structured education: a) many people, past and present, have achieved success without formal education and b) other countries have benefited from more flexible school systems.
5. In theory, our present system of education was devised to effect the moral improvement of everyone in the country, to turn children into good citizens, and to encourage them to fulfill their potential. In fact, the real purpose was to produce a society of obedient, docile, and interchangeable cogs.
6. Gatto suggests-but does not prove-that this system was also intended to discourage working class solidarity and so suppress any threat to the ruling class (whose composition Gatto does not identify). According to Gatto, Alexander Inglis’s 1918 analysis of the goals of the American system includes encouraging robotic behavior, ensuring conformity, tracking children according to their “proper social role,” and limiting their opportunities for success. The object of teacher training was to prepare managers to preside over this repressive process.
7. Ultimately, this form of education produces a manageable, quiescent population of consumers that is interested only in being entertained and in indiscriminately buying whatever products are currently being marketed. By inference, “they”-the people in charge, the capitalist/corporate system-would suffer if children were allowed to become thinking, independent, working adults.
8. To save their children, parents must subvert the system by engaging in a parallel process of education that emphasizes independent thinking, self-knowledge, self-restraint, and hard work.

Answers to the Paraphrase Exercise

Answers:

1. According to Jacques Cousteau, the activity of people in Antarctica is jeopardizing a delicate natural mechanism that controls the earth’s climate. He fears that human activity could interfere with the balance between the sun, the source of the earth’s heat, and the important source of cold from Antarctic waters that flow north and cool the oceans and atmosphere (“Captain Cousteau” 17).

2. During the twenties lawlessness and social nonconformity prevailed. In cities organized crime flourished without police interference, and in spite of nationwide prohibition of liquor sales, anyone who wished to buy a drink knew where to get one. Musicians like Louis Armstrong became favorites, particularly among young people, as many turned away from highly respectable classical music to jazz. One of the best examples of the anti-traditional trend was the proliferation of young “flappers,” women who rebelled against custom by cutting off their hair and shortening their skirts (Yancey 25).

3. The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually, half of whom are school children (“Bike Helmets” 348).

4. Matisse paintings are remarkable in giving the viewer the distinct sensory impressions of one experiencing the scene first hand. For instance, “The Casbah Gate” takes one to the walled city of Tangier and the Bab el Aassa gateway near the Sultan’s palace, where one can imagine standing on an afternoon, absorbing the splash of colors and the fine outlines. Even the sentry, the bowaab vaguely eyeing those who came and go through the gate, blends into the scene as though real (Plagens 50).

5. How much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise than the present world marvel, the Sears Tower, is unknown. However, the design of one twice as tall is already on the boards, and an architect, Robert Sobel, thinks we currently have sufficient know-how to build a skyscraper with over 500 stories (Bachman 15).

(Taken from Purdue University Online Writing Lab:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html)

Citations

Citations

(Taken from: http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/fill/english/links/writing/styleguide.htm)
v Citations are references to or acknowledgements of the work of other scholars
This may involve simply mentioning their work, summarizing their arguments or quoting directly from their work.

v Students are sometimes unsure why they are encouraged to cite other, previous work in the field they are writing about. There are perhaps seven reasons why academic writing uses citations so frequently (the following list is adapted and expanded from J. Swales and C. B. Feak, Academic Writing for Graduate Students [Ann Arbor: Univ.of Michigan Press, 1994], pp.180-81):

1. Citations are used to recognize and acknowledge the work done by other scholars. They recognize that these scholars have intellectual property rights over the work they have published.
2. Citations are used to pay respect to work done by previous scholars, and display familiarity with the history of the field.
3. Citations are used to create a research space. By describing what has already been done in the field, they can reveal what still remains to be done, and in this way prepare a space for new research.
4. Citations are tools of persuasion: writers use citations to support their own ideas and opinions. They can add greater authority to an argument.
5. Citations can be used to disagree with an author. This is especially important when disagreeing with a work, which is regarded as being seminal or extremely influential in the field.
6. Citations can be used to display that the author wishes to be regarded as a member of a chosen scholarly community. Or they can be used to demonstrate distance from a particular community.
7. Citations may operate as a mutual reward system. Students may feel a need to cite their teachers’ work; friends and colleagues may cite each other; etc.

v Citations always include a reference to the source. They may include a paraphrase of points made by the author, or direct quotation, or a mixture of paraphrase and quotation. Paraphrase is the default (neutral) opinion, since your essay is something you are writing in your own words. Direct quotation is permissible and sometimes valuable; but there should be a particular reason for quoting.
Writing Citations
Citing the author’s name
The first time you refer to a source, use the author’s full name-without Mr. or Miss, Mrs., or Ms.

First reference
John Stuart Mill writes, “The opinion which it is attempted to suppress by authority may possible be true.”

After that, should you need to cite the author again, use the last name only.

Second Reference
Mill continues to point out that “all silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.”

But for the very first reference, you should include the title of the work and the author’s full name.

In “Summertime Dues,” Walter Kirn informs us that…

For the next references, you might use the author’s last name and a personal pronoun.
Kirn also mentions the decline of summer job rate…
He concludes that…………………………

Choosing the Introductory Verbs
Example: The author…
To assert forcefully
To offer information
argues
emphasizes
inserts
opposes
contradicts
disagrees
finds maintains
points out agrees
notes
suggests
explains
believes
continues
establishes
adds
declares
observes
proposes
states

Before using these verbs, you have to remember that verbs are not interchangeable and that you should choose the verb that best suits your purpose.
You might need to ask the following questions before using the introductory verbs.
For example:
Is it being asserted forcefully? Use “argues” or “insists”
Is the statement being offered only as information? Use “suggests” or “proposes” or “finds”
Does the statement immediately follow a previous reference? Use “continues” or “adds”

Exercise 14: Identifying a Good Paraphrase

Taken from Writing from Sources

This passage suggests a cluster of reasons for the high incidence of violence. It is not as straightforward as it seems. Barash begins by asserting-apparently-that violent behavior is adult and mature, rather than primitive and immature. This dichotomy can be very confusing, for, as he discusses motive (sentences 4 and 5) and cites examples (sentence 6), it seems clear that violent behavior isn’t at all “adult” or “mature.” Actually, Barash is switching from his initial reference to motive (“primitive”; “immature”), to an ironic reference to the age of the offenders (“mature”; “adult”), back to a consideration of the petty motives that set people off (“relatively trivial origins”). On my first reading, I missed the switch and wondered how “murderous violence [could be] distressingly mature.” But once the two levels get sorted out-in the second sentence, mature refers to age, not behavior-the passage makes more sense. In Paragraph 2, Barash continues to toss out words that are the equivalent of “immature” and “trivial”-“caprice,” “inconsequential”-before returning to his initial description-“primitive”-and explaining that evolution has hard-wired into men the instinct to provoke, engage in, and win confrontations with their rivals, real or potential, at whatever cost. Whether, at this stage of evolution, participating in these conflicts still confers prestige might be a subject for class discussion.

#1 stumbles over that initial quirk in the text and so begins with a misreading: she doesn’t understand Barash’s distinction between motive and age, and proceeds as if he were emphasizing violence as a function of youth, not maturity. She glides right over the various categories of motive and omits all reference to the factual study that Barash cites. The third sentence makes its point quite well, but it doesn’t really correspond to Barash’s description of evolution. At the end, though, she provides a good paraphrase of the tricky point about fighting for prestige. This student expresses herself reasonably well; her problem as a paraphrase is lack of concentration on the text.

#2 also falls into the trap of misreading the false parallel between preteens and grownups. He does mention the survey, but reduces the specifics of “12 categories of motive” and “fully 37 percent of all murder” to “most murders take place for silly, unimportant reasons.” Like many students new to paraphrase, he is really trying to write a summary. The reference to “children” in his third sentence means that he is still pursuing the (false) parallel at a point when Barash has gone on to other things. #2’s use of “tragic” to convey “irony and caprice” confirms his tendency to guess at the author’s meaning. The key point about evolution is totally ignored in this paraphrase, which ends with an interesting example of projection: his emphasis on right and wrong-“it’s wrong for them to risk lives….” suggests a moral stance that certainly can’t be found in Barash. In all, this is the weakest of the three paraphrases.

#3 is an adequate paraphrase, conveying enough of Barash’s text to provide a basis for comment and analysis if it were included in a student essay. There are a few omissions. It would be a good idea to mention the name of the survey’s author. It would be an even better idea to include a reference to evolution: “ultimately survived” doesn’t quite make the point. “Dying for no good reason…” is a summarizing statement, not a paraphrase. Similarly, in the last sentence, #3 should include one last reference to fighting “for trivial reasons”; if Barash takes the trouble to reiterate his unifying theme, so should the paraphraser.

Students sometimes observe (in paraphrase as well as the summary exercises) that successful writing from sources tends to use long, complex sentences while poor work relies on short, simple sentences with few connectives. They may ask, is longer better? A paraphrase should represent the source’s complexity as completely as possible, and, usually, to convey the relationship between ideas, one needs to use dependent clauses and participial phrases. But you might point out that short sentences can also convey an author’s meaning-#3’s paraphrase attests to that-and that a “free” paraphrase doesn’t have to echo the rhythms or even the sequence of the original text.

Summary of “Against School”

Summary of “Against School”

From John Taylor Gatto’s points of view, he believes that the staying in the American schooling system for so long has supplied him with every reason to refer to it as a childish program. He supposes he can bring out the best qualities in children by giving them autonomy to make decisions and take risks from time to time, rather than confining them to schooling. According to him, people may see the key problem of schooling as boredom which he argues as not only a problem but can also be the question, “Do we really need schooling?” To clarify his point, Gatto asserts having education is not equal to taking schooling which is instead considered as “a daily routine in a factory of childishness in order to make sure children do not really grow up.” Gatto supports his views by enumerating a significant number of successful Americans who did not go through the schooling system but turned out to be productive, such as Abraham Lincoln. He regards education as the process to enhance children’s abilities to acquire knowledge but not to be schooled and further clarifies that success does not derive from dead cultivation. As far as he is concerned, the main reasons for the existence of schooling consist in that it trains standardized citizenry which in fact would reduce people to the same safe level and put down their originality. Additionally, after further discovery, Gatto believes the schooling system is still made for certain profits to the economy because it encourages obedience to the authority and likeness in children’s attitudes to promote manipulation, which however, inclines determining of their social roles, training of the roles, then selecting of the best, and finally creating an elite group to take over certain systems. In his opinion, all of these are in interest to a social, economic and political economy; our children are continually being fed with both necessary and unnecessary information and they are actually not thinking by themselves. Taken as addicts and machines, they are consistently being stripped of the ability to judge. Ultimately, Gatto rounds his argument up to conclude that school drills children to be employees and consumers and their capacities are limited which should not have been.

Paraphrasing Exercises

Paraphrasing Exercises

Directions: Write a paraphrase for each of the following passages.

1. “The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate,” [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. “The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity.” From “Captain Cousteau,” Audubon (May 1990):17.

2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America’s break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989):25.

3. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From “Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers,” Consumer Reports (May 1990):348.

4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He’s the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. “The Casbah Gate” depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan’s palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, “Bright Lights.” Newsweek (26 March 1990):50.

5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it’s unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world’s tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, “Reaching for the Sky.” Dial (May 1990):15.




(Taken from Purdue University Online Writing Lab:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html)

Rules of Using Quotation Marks

Rules of Using Quotation Marks

1. All periods and commas are placed inside the terminal quotation marks.
P.T. Barnum is reputed to have said that “there’s a sucker born every minute.”

P.T Barnum is reputed to have said that “there’s a sucker born ever minute,” and Barnum’s circus undertook to entertain each and everyone.

2. All semicolons, colons, and dashes are placed outside the terminal quotation marks.
George Santayana wrote that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”;
today, we are in danger of forgetting the lesson of history.

In the first chapter of his book, Thomas revealed his feeling: “It is better to die than to work with
the enemy.”

1. Question marks and exclamation points are sometimes places inside the quotation marks and sometimes placed outside.
· If the quotation is itself a question or an exclamation, the mark or point goes inside the quotation marks.

General Sherman signaled the arrival of his reinforcements: “Hold the fort! I am coming!”

· If your own sentence is a question or an exclamation, the mark or point goes outside a quotation at the very end of your sentence.

Can anyone in the 1980s agree with Dumas that “woman inspires us to great things and prevents us from achieving them”?

Interrupting Quotations

It is desirable to break up a long quotation or to vary the way you quote your sources by interrupting a quotation and placing the citation in the middle.

“I do not mind lying,” wrote Samuel Butler, “but I hate inaccuracy.”

Quoting inside a Quotation

Sometimes a statement that you want to quote already contains a quotation. In this case, you must use two sets of quotation marks, double and single, to help your reader to distinguish between the two separate sources.

· “…….” Single quotation marks are used for the words already quoted by your source.
· “……” Double quotation marks are used around the words that are quoting.



I draw the line at “forever.”

Eternally inquiring and curious about places and people, “I draw the line at ‘forever.’”

At the beginning of the World War I, Winston Churchill observed that “the maximum of the British people is ‘Business as usual.’”

Using Ellipses to Delete Words (…)

· It is permissible to delete words from a quotation
· Be sure that your condensed version is as accurate as the original
· Be sure to insert the conventional symbol for deletion, three spaced dots, called ellipsis.

Original
Modern democracy and modern method of publicity have made the problem of affecting public opinion quite different from what it used to be. The knowledge that public possesses on any important issue is derived from vast and powerful organization: the press, radio, and, above all, television.
Bertrand Russell
Quotation with Ellipsis

Russell comments that “modern democracy and modern method of publicity have made the problem of affecting public opinion… The knowledge that public possesses on any important issues is derived from vast and powerful organization: …”

Using Brackets to Insert Words [ ]
-The most common reason for using brackets is to clarify a vague word.

Original
Man lives by habits, indeed, but what he lives for thrills and excitement.
William James
Quotation with brackets

William James argues that “what he [man] lives for is thrills and excitement.”