TODAY’S GOALS
• Continue discussion of past writing experiences
• Discuss and reflect on difficulties of learning English
• Discuss expectations of college writing
QUIZ 1
For questions 1 and 2, select the best answer based on our readings and class discussions:
1. Closed form prose is centered on:
a)
b)
c)
d)
An implicit theme
Logical transitions
A clear thesis
None of the above
2. The main reason you could be in danger of failing ENC1930 are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Missing 6 or more classes
Not turning in one of the four major essays
Committing plagiarism in your writing
All of the above
For questions 3 and 4, answer the following in a few complete sentences:
3. Identify one of the learning outcomes described on the class syllabus.
4. Describe one type of writing you have done before coming to FIU. Make sure to mention: whether it had a
theme or thesis, what you were trying to accomplish with the piece of writing, and whom your intended
audience was.
JUST KIDDING!
CLASS DISCUSSION:
PRACTICE QUIZ 1
For questions 1 and 2, select the best answer based on our readings and class discussions:
1. Closed form prose is centered on:
a)
b)
c)
d)
An implicit theme
Logical transitions
A clear thesis
None of the above
2. The main reason you could be in danger of failing ENC1930 are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Missing 6 or more classes
Not turning in one of the four major essays
Committing plagiarism in your writing
All of the above
For questions 3 and 4, answer the following in a few complete sentences:
3. Identify one of the learning outcomes described on the class syllabus.
4. Describe one type of writing you have done before coming to FIU. Make sure to mention: whether it had a
theme or thesis, what you were trying to accomplish with the piece of writing, and whom your intended
audience was.
INTRODUCTORY VOCABULARY
• Reflection
• Closed form prose
• Thesis
• Open form prose
• Theme
• Purpose
• Audience
• Genre
GROUP ACTIVITY:
PAST WRITING EXPERIENCES (CONTINUED)
• In your unit 1 groups
• Finish answering the following questions:
1. What are the most common types of writing you have done in the past? Try to identify at least two for each
student
2. For each type of writing, identify whether it would be best described as closed form prose with an explicit
thesis or open form prose with an implicit theme
3. For each type of writing, name the purpose or what you were trying to accomplish with that piece.
• Answer the following new questions:
4. How likely are you to encounter each of these writing types at FIU or in your future major/career?
5. For each type of writing, what makes it difficult or what are the challenges you faced when creating it?
6. When creating each of these different types of writing, what do you do or look for to ensure your work is of
the highest quality possible?
CLASS DISCUSSION
• Share your answers from the group activity with the class
• Which of these types of writing do we all have in common?
• Which of these writings will we likely encounter in the future at FIU?
CLASS DISCUSSION: ENGLISH DIFFICULTIES
• What were your experiences like learning English? Was this something you enjoyed or disliked?
• Where/how did you learn English?
• Was there anything about English that you found particularly difficult, strange, or counterintuitive?
• Consider: reading, speaking, spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.
• What do you still want to learn about English or its usage?
CLASS DISCUSSION: ENGLISH DIFFICULTIES
“It is not easy to calculate all the costs of English spelling. What is the price of demotivation and turning
large numbers of young children off learning at a young age? Teachers are regularly reminded that when it
comes to motivation, 'Nothing succeeds like success'. English spelling ensures that many children have to
become accustomed to failure from a very young age. Presumably the obverse of success is true of failure,
and therefore 'nothing fails like spelling failure'?
[...] The most serious drawback of English spelling, however, is undoubtedly that it dooms around 20 %
of all learners to guaranteed failure. For about 1/5 of all school children it is quite simply too difficult.
When a system is too difficult, large numbers of people inevitably fail to cope with it. We have seen a
vast expansion in the use of computers once they became more user friendly. If one country had decided to
stick with the DOS system and forbidden the adoption of windows, the use of computers in that country would
almost certainly still be very low. The refusal to modernize English spelling has a similar effect. We insist that
English spelling must stay fiendishly difficult, even though it is clearly beyond the intellectual powers of many
millions (7 mil. in the UK, 40 mil. in the US.)
Inability to read and write reduces an individual's life and job prospects in many ways. For example, in
the summer of 2000 it was reported in the UK that around 25% of British women fail to take up the offer of free
breast screening. How much is illiteracy responsible for this? May functional illiteracy also be the reason why
millions of people living in poverty regularly fail to claim the benefits which are aimed at alleviating their
problems? How many resort to theft and robbery instead because they cannot cope with filling in an
application form?
In June 1999 the Los Angeles Times carried a full page advertisement for voluntary classroom reading
assistants. This claimed that some US states project future numbers of prisoners from child illiteracy rates.
According to a recent audit by the UK's Youth Justice Board, half of all young men in custody in the UK have a
reading age of 11 or below. The US and the UK both jail a relatively high percentage of their populations. The
UK's rate is by far the highest in Europe. English spelling may well be at least partly responsible for this
difference. “
CLASS DISCUSSION: ENGLISH DIFFICULTIES
• Should the United States consider changing the English spelling system based on these difficulties? Why
or why not?
• English has the most second language speakers of any language in the world. How do you think this
has affected its development?
Listen to the two passages representing Old English and Middle English respectively.
• Where you able to understand any of the passages?
• What might have caused these changes?
• How do you think a speaker of Old English or Middle English would react to the English we speak
today?
CLASS DISCUSSION: ENGLISH DIFFICULTIES
• English, and in fact all languages, change drastically over time
• English can be a difficult language to master due to its:
•
•
•
•
•
Outdated and counterintuitive spelling system
Influences and loan words from many different languages
Phonotactic constraints that allow for long consonant clusters
Complex verb phrase system
Constant influence from technology and globalization
• However, since you are present in this class, having passed the TOEFL and other exams, you have
already completed the hard part! You are all English speakers. Now, our job is to make you masters of
the English language.
BLOG ENTRY 2
• Focus: Reflect on past difficulties with English or (language learning)
• Take a few minutes to think back on your experiences learning English and anything you found
particularly difficult or easy about the experience.
• You may wish to consider:
• How/where did you learn English? How might this have affected your understanding or usage of the
language?
• In your home country, with whom did you speak English?
• What parts of the language might have proved difficult to you? Consider: reading, speaking, spelling,
vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.
• Is there any part of the language with which you are still struggling?
• What part of your English skills would you most like to improve in this class?
HOMEWORK
• Read I&A p.1-22
• Upload Blog Entry 2
• Minor Essay 1
• Due Tuesday 9/1
• Bring a printed copy to class
• See following slide for prompt
MINOR ESSAY 1
• Purpose: Describe and reflect on two types of writing you have done before coming to FIU. For each type of
writing, make sure to mention:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Was it based off of a theme or thesis? Open or closed form prose?
What were you trying to accomplish with the writing?
What was the writing for? (A class, personal enjoyment, practicing language, etc)
Was there anything you found particularly easy or difficult about the writing?
How did you feel about the writing? Was it enjoyable or not?
If you had to do that type of writing again, what would you do differently, or what did you learn from the experience?
• Audience: Other students in ENC1930.
• Consider this audience to be informal. Use of first person and colloquial language are suggested.
• Genre: Reflective memo
• Should have a brief introduction, a thesis that mentions both types of writing you will bring up, and body paragraphs
that explain and reflect on those types of writing.
• Example thesis: In high school, I wrote persuasive essays which I enjoyed and found easy as well as personal narratives
which I found a bit difficult.
• Requirements:
• 250-500 words
• MLA Format, typed, double spaced, printed and brought to class
• The prompt should be presented in essay form rather than answers to individual questions