This is an Invitation
To all English 43 Scholars
Who are willing to learn
“By any means necessary”
That writing is powerful
Malcolm X said that “without education, you’re not going anywhere in this world.”
But get this. This is the same guy who dropped out of school just after junior high. He
got involved in hustling, in prostitution, and in drug dealing. He became a cocaine addict
and a burglar. At just 19, he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. It was
while he was in prison that his whole life changed.
What happened is that Malcolm became a letter writer. And what he realized is that he
couldn’t express what he wanted to convey in the letters that he wrote. He was frustrated
by this. He says that “in the street I had been the most articulate hustler out there … But
now, trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even
functional.”
So he got a dictionary and he began to copy every entry. It took him a day to do the first
page. He would copy it all out and then read back what he had written. He began to
remember the words and what they meant. He was fascinated with the knowledge that he
was gaining. And over a period of time he finished copying out the whole dictionary. He
started to read anything he could get his hands on. He read and read and read. Reading
and writing changed his life, and he changed the world.
What are you willing to do to educate yourself?
The English 43 Promise
Malcolm X changed the world through his speaking and his writing. English 43 promises
to give you the opportunity to empower yourself, like Malcolm X did, through reading
and writing. This course promises that you can become a powerful writer. You will see
that writing is a way of learning—that we write to figure things out, and that we write
because we have something we need to say. This course offers extensive practice in
thinking and talking about reading and writing and how we can connect this to our lives.
English 43 is a review of standard writing skills, with special emphasis on the paragraph
and grammar. During the semester we will review parts of speech, punctuation, and
other grammatical areas with the ultimate goal of creating strong, well developed,
paragraphs.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
1. Read pre-college and basic college level texts for the purposes of writing and class
discussion.
2. Practice and apply appropriate strategies from the writing process including prewriting, composing, revising, and editing techniques.
3. Plan and write sentences, paragraphs, and basic compositions (for a total of 2,5003,000 graded words) that are clear, unified, and purposeful on personal and nonpersonal or abstract topics.
4. Produce in-class paragraphs and basic compositions that demonstrate organizing,
composing, revising and editing skills.
5. Practice and apply appropriate mechanical and grammatical structures in the
production and editing of sentences, paragraphs, and basic compositions.
6. Apply critical thinking in reading, writing, and class discussion.
7. Employ study skills and habits necessary for further academic success.
Ways to Fulfill the English 43 Promise
Like Malcolm X, you must take responsibility for your own learning.
This course will take you on a journey through the learning process…
Unit 1: Self Exploration: Storytelling, Voice, Detail, Making Connections, Learning
Styles, Left Brain, Right Brain, Multiple Intelligences, Collage, your very own Blog,
Malcolm X, Helen Keller, Journaling, Grammar, Vocabulary Development, Critical
Reading and Writing Strategies and Exercises
Unit 2: The Argument
Rhetoric, Socrates, Aristotle, Writing that Takes a Stand, Hip-Hop Culture, Michael
Moore’s Bowling for Columbine, Sicko, Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, Hip-Hop, Grammar in
context, Blogging, and Drafting the Argumentative Essay
Your growth as a Scholar will be assessed using a point system. You cannot grow
academically if you do not practice. The points, written comments and conferences
with me will serve as feedback on your growth. You will also be asked to evaluate
yourself.
Empower yourself through the learning process:
Showing Up- just being here gets you points. The catch is that you have to be here on
time when the writing warm-up begins.
4 points each class
Organization- you must keep a 3 ring binder with 3 dividers: Learning Log, Writing
Assignments, Handouts
50 points, due at the end of the semester, random binder checks
Grammar Exercises
Up to 100 points total
Various Writing Exercises
Up to 100 points
Blog Posts
20 points each
Argumentative Essay- 3 drafts
100 points total
Your final grade is a reflection of the points you earn.
You can divide your points by the total possible points
Grade Equivalents: of total points
to get your grade. You will be required to keep track of
A=
90-100%
your points in your learning log.
B=
80-89%
C=
70-79%
D=
60-69%
F=
0-59%
All assignments must be submitted on time. No emailed assignments accepted.
The Details & Guidelines
English 43/spring 2009
English Review: 7:30-8:55 AM
Instructor: Kelley McClary
Email: kmcclary@sdccd.edu
Blackboard: http://online.sdccd.edu
(username: CSID number, password: 8 digit birthdate)
Office Hours: By Appointment
Textbook: College English Skills, John Langan
Let’s learn from Malcolm X’s life…
This classroom is welcoming to all. Diversity will be celebrated and discrimination
of any sort will not be tolerated. This classroom will respect diversity based on race,
ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexual orientation. Please refrain from disruptive
behavior and talking when others are speaking.
Plagiarism: Students are expected to be honest and ethical at all times in their pursuit of
academic goals. Students who are found in violation of district Procedure 3100.3,
Honest Academic Conduct, will receive an “F” grade on the assignment in question and
may be referred for disciplinary action in accordance with Procedure 3100.2, Student
Disciplinary Procedures.
Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that
they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact Disabled
Students Programs & Services as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations
are implemented in a timely manner. Their phone number is 795-6658 and they are
located in Building 3000-Student Services, Room 3009, adjacent to Parking lot 3C.
Late Work Policy: Do all homework and turn it on time. No late assignments will be
accepted unless you have contacted the instructor prior to class (on the due date) and
received permission to turn it in late. If a late assignment has been permitted, it must be
turned in no later than the start of the next scheduled class meeting. Late assignments
will receive a lower grade. Collected in-class assignments may not be made up.
Your writing inspires others
Every time you write
Something valuable will occur
SARK
I look forward to working with you!