Wednesday, January 29th, 2014--8 pm

Greetings,

below you will find the following:

1. Corrections to the syllabus (I have made the corrections on the copy of the syllabus that I posted in the first blog entry; however, you may want to make the correction on your hard copy.)
2. A copy of the handout distributed today: Unacceptable Errors
3. A copy of the handout distributed today: Viewer's Journal Assignment

Reminder:
Quiz on syllabus Friday. It is an "open book" quiz--meaning you may refer your syllabus as you complete the quiz. Please note that you will not have the entire 50 minutes to complete the quiz--instead, you will have about 20 minutes. It SHOULD be a VERY easy opportunity for you to earn 50 points. :)

CORRECTIONS TO SYLLABUS:
1. Week 11. Please delete/omit the following: "Out of Class Essay 2 due today (Wed)"
2. Week 4. Please delete/omit the following: "Complete Reading Packet #2 (Monday)"

UNACCEPTABLE ERRORS

In English 20, students should already be very proficient in word usage.  We do not have time for grammar lessons.  (I will, however, provide short ‘mini’ lessons when I feel they are warranted.)  The following errors that are commonly made on student papers are considered unacceptable.

In class essays that have unacceptable errors CAN always be corrected to earn back the points lost.

1.  there – place                                                Put it over there.

2.  their – possessive pronoun                        That is their car.

3.  they’re – contraction of they are                        They’re going with us.

4.  your – possessive pronoun                        Your dinner is ready.

5.  you’re – contraction of you are                        You’re not ready.

6.  it’s – contraction of it is                        It’s a sunny day.

7.  its – possessive pronoun                        The dog wagged its tail.

8.  a lot – always two words                        I liked it a lot.

9.  to – a preposition or part of an

      infinitive                                                I like to proofread my essays carefully.

10. too – an intensifier, or also                        That is too much.  I will go too.

11. two – a number                                    Give me two folders.

12. In today’s society            This phrase is grossly overused and very cliché. Instead use “Today” or “In America” or “Now” etc

13. right(s)/write(s)/rite(s)            rights are a set of beliefs or values in which a person feels entitled: His rights were read to him before he was arrested for stalking Dave Matthews. Writes is a verb indicating action taken with a pen, pencil or computers to convey a message: Michelle writes love letters to Dave Matthews in her sleep. Rites are a series of steps or events which lead an individual from one phase in life to the next, or a series of traditions that should be followed: The initiate began his rite of passage ceremony at the age of thirteen.

14. definitely/defiantly            This error USUALLY occurs when a writer relies solely on spell-check. You really must learn to become the final editor of your work. Definitely is an adverb and it means without a doubt. Mary will definitely miss the Dave Matthews Band concert. Defiantly means to show defiance. She was in a defiant mood. It is an adjective. Or it could be used as an adverb. She was defiantly rude and sullen towards the professor.

15. On your Works Cited page:            you MUST center and type at the top the heading just as it is here: Works Cited. NOT ALL CAPS, NOT BOLDED, NOT UNDERLINED, NOT MISSPELLED, NOT IN A DIFFERENT SIZED FONT, ETC.

16. woman/women            woman is used when you are referring to ONE female lady.

                                                            women is the plural of woman, meaning MORE THAN ONE lady

                                                            There are many women at the nail salon, but only one woman is shopping at the market next door.

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An accumulation of the following errors will affect your grade, but not 10 points off for EACH error.  My evaluation of your work depends on how serious the error is, and how often you make it.  Some do not slow up the reader as much as others.

• Misuse of the word “you”.  You must actually mean the reader when you use the word “you”.

• Avoid use of contractions in formal expository writing. (can’t, shouldn’t, didn’t, etc.)

• Agreement of subject and verb.  Both must be either singular or plural.

• Fragmented sentences, comma splices and run-ons.  Be sure to proofread your papers carefully before turning them in.

You will not pass English 20 if you cannot write an intelligent sentence in correct English.

************************

English 20, Spring 2014, C. Fraga

Viewer’s Journal Assignment

Learning Outcome: 

If one is able to write an in-depth character analysis, one will be able to write ANY kind of analysis.

Observing character and determining/analyzing why someone acts, thinks, speaks, reacts, feels, and responds the way one does is both intriguing and also the most challenging of tasks.

For your Out of Class Essay #3, you will be writing a very in-depth analysis of ONE of the characters from Breaking Bad, Season 1.

(This is NOT the official assignment for the essay. You will receive that on the day indicated on the syllabus.)

However, when you do eventually submit Out of Class Essay #3 you will ALSO be submitting a Viewer’s Journal as well. If you do not submit the Journal, 20 points will be deducted from your score on the essay. If this ends up to be the one essay you choose to revise, you cannot earn back the 20 points.

What is a Viewer’s Journal?

Simply, as you watch each episode of Breaking Bad, Season 1, you will jot down notes. There are no specific guidelines for WHAT you will write.

Record what you believe is significant or may end up being significant. Some of your entries might read a lot like a recap of the episode. That is fine.

As you view each episode, begin to think about what character you would like to focus on for essay 3. Throughout your viewing, more than one character may intrigue you, so you may be jotting down observations and details about more than one character.

This journal is strictly for YOU and for your use and reference when planning and preparing to write essay 3. I will not be reading through them. There is no requirement for length or content. These notes can be typed or handwritten or be barely readable. Obviously, though, they should be at least readable to YOU. J

When you submit essay 3, you will attach these journal entries to the back of the essay.

It must be clear to me that you have SEVEN distinct entries, one for each episode. Each entry must be titled by the name of the episode.

Example:

Episode 2: “Cat’s in the Bag”

As you view each episode, and observe the main characters, here are some questions to guide your note taking.

• What does this character do (and not do) and why?

• What do others think about your character? And how do you know?

• What motivates your character to do what he/she does?

• What influences this character to do what he/she does?

• What was your first impression of this character and does it change as you view new episodes? Why or why not? In which ways?

• What are this character’s goals, dreams, desires, needs? How do you know?

• Do you like this character? Why or why not?

• Is this character a believable one, a genuine one? Why or why not?