ENG4C
Unit 2:
Revised Sept 2015
Communication
Rereading for Different Purposes
Informational text forms (such as explanations, reports, news articles, magazine articles
and instructions) are written to communicate information about a specific subject, topic,
event, or process. These texts use vocabulary, special design elements, and organizational
patterns to express ideas clearly and make them easier to read.
Tips for Reading Informational Text
Before Reading
 Set a purpose for reading. Ask yourself why you are reading this
particular text.
 Look over the text to see which elements appear (such as headings,
subheadings, illustrations and captions, etc.),
 Examine the titles, headings, and subheadings, and scan for words that stand out.
 Look for words and phrases that might give you clues about how the information
is organized.
 Read any overviews, summaries or questions. In a shorter piece, read the opening
and concluding sentences or paragraphs.
 Examine each illustration and read the titles or captions.
 Recall what you already know about the topic.
 Record some questions you might have about the topic.
During Reading
 Divide the reading task into smaller chunks (chunking the text into
paragraphs, chunking sections by sub-headings, etc.). Read a chunk, pause
and think about what you read, and write a brief one-sentence summary or brief
point-form notes to help you remember important and interesting information.
 Read quickly, then slowly. Skim the sections you think will support your purpose
for reading. When you find specific information you want, slow down and read it
word by word. You may need to reread the passage several times.
 Read the selection and jot down thoughts, responses to your questions and new
questions that occur to you.
After Reading
 Read the selection again to confirm the main idea and supporting details.
 Make connections to what you already know about the topic. How does the
information you have read add to or alter what you knew about the topic?
 Record your thinking about and responses to the text. For example, write a
summary, complete a graphic organizer, create a sketch, or orally retell to
yourself or a friend.
Taken from: Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Think Literacy: Cross-Curricular Approaches,
Grades 7-12. 2003. p. 82.
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Readers increase their understanding by reviewing what they have read, reflecting on
what they have learned and asking questions about the significance
Clues for Finding Answers in the Text
On The Lines
Some questions can be answered by “reading on the lines”; the answer is right there in
the text. The question asks for literal information from the selection such as details, facts
and information stated by the author. Some “question starters” that ask for literal
knowledge are give, list, find, describe, tell, retell, and what. To answer a question “on
the line”
 Find the words used to create the question.
 Look at the other words in that sentence to find the answer.
Among The Lines
The answers to some questions are to be found by “reading among the lines.” This type
of question has an answer in the text, but this answer requires information from more
than one sentence or paragraph. Some “question starters” that ask for literal knowledge
include list, compare, how, and summarize. To answer a question “among the lines”:
 Find the words used to create the question.
 Reread the sentences or paragraphs that contain the question words.
 Look at the other words in the sentences or paragraphs to find the answer.
Between The Lines
Some questions ask you to “read between the lines”. This type of question asks the reader
to make inferences based on the ideas and information in the text.
The answer might be found interpretively in the reader’s own background knowledge, but
would not make sense unless the reader had read the text. Some “questions starters,” that
ask for inferences are why, how might, what do you think, explain, predict, and what
might. To answer a question “between the lines”:
 Look for key words and clues in the question
 Re-read that part of the text in which the author gives the clues needed to
construct the answer.
 Ask yourself: - Is this what the author meant?
 Ask yourself: - Does this make sense?
Beyond the Lines
The answers to some questions are not in the text at all: they are “beyond the lines.” This
means searching for the answer in the reader’s own background knowledge. Some
“question starters” that ask for interpretations are what can you learn from, how might
you, what if, and is it fair that. To answer a question “beyond the lines”:
 Read the question and identify the key words.
 Identify your beliefs, experiences and knowledge that relate to the question.
 Ask yourself: - would the author agree with this conclusion?
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Assignment #1
You will read the McCallum article entitled "The Young and the Feckless Another
NBA Coach Finds Out - Too Late - Who's Really Running the Show." (Page 3-5)
Before Reading
1. Before you read the article, just by reading the title of the article what do you think
the article will be about?
During Reading
2. What does the expression “the inmates are running the show” mean to you?
3. What is the author trying to tell us when he says “they bring with them a sense of
entitlement borne of marketing deals that turn them into celebrities of vast wealth
before they turn themselves into players”?
4. When the article refers to “the children” who are they referring to?
5. Who is Penny Hardaway?
6. What are some of the characteristics of Hardaway that the author of the article points
out? (good and bad)
7. Why are coaches fired so often in the NBA?
After Reading
1. After reading the article, do you agree that players run the team and not the
coach? Explain with examples from the article.
THE YOUNG AND THE FECKLESS ANOTHER NBA COACH FINDS OUT-TOO LATE--WHO'S REALLY RUNNING THE SHOW
By Jack McCallum
Sports Illustrated
March 3, 1997
With regard to the firing of Brian Hill as coach of the Orlando Magic on Feb. 18, the
operative cliché was, The inmates are running the asylum. Here's a more appropriate
metaphor: The children are running the day-care center. Children point fingers and
backstab when the going gets tough. Children have a hard time accepting responsibility
when things go bad. Children pout when they don't get their way. Ladies and
gentlemen...your Orlando Magic!
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The NBA has long been an indoor Lord of the Flies (one wonders if Red Auerbach was
the league's last coach truly in control of his team), but never have so many children been
so much in charge. Players are leaving college earlier--or not going to college at all--and
thus entering the NBA with less maturity than ever. And they bring with them a sense of
entitlement borne of marketing deals that turn them into celebrities of vast wealth before
they turn themselves into players.
At the same time, the stakes are getting so phenomenally high (the DeVos family,
proprietors of the Magic, paid $85 million for the Magic in 1991, and as of last May the
team was valued at $122 million) that franchise executives suddenly listen very carefully
to the children. If they don't, the children will pout and tune out the coach, or take their
ball and move to a new team as soon as they're free agents. Hill found out that the
individual who really runs the Magic is a 25-year-old child named Penny Hardaway, who
already has his own puppet alter ego (and an irritating one at that).
In the interest of full disclosure I should say that I go back a long way with Hill, two
decades, to Bethlehem, Pa., where he coaxed dozens of wins out of mediocre talent in
nine years at Lehigh. But by any objective standard Hill should not have been fired by
Orlando. In his three complete seasons he won 68% of his games and more than 50
games per year, the benchmark for NBA coaching excellence. He took the Magic to two
conference finals and an NBA Finals. You'd think they'd be giving this guy a long-term
contract, not the gate.
Hill's record this season was a subpar 24-25, but four starters, including Hardaway,
missed a total of 61 games to injury. Then there is the matter of Shaquille O'Neal's exit to
the Los Angeles Lakers after last season; all he took with him was 27 points, 12.5
rebounds and three blocks a game. When Hill had most everyone healthy, as he did
before the All-Star break, the Magic won nine of 10 and was the NBA's hottest team.
Then Orlando lost five in a row; Hill got canned.
Criticism of Hill centered on three things: his alleged failure to keep O'Neal from fleeing,
his alleged failure to develop an imaginative offense and his alleged failure to keep
Hardaway happy. O'Neal was not overly enamored of Hill, but he also left because the
Magic front office bungled negotiations with him and because La-La Land was too
enticing to pass up. Anyway, young players are not exactly, as the sonnet puts it, constant
in their affections. On more than one occasion during O'Neal's rookie season of 1992-93,
I heard him say of his then coach, "We've got to get Matty [Guokas] out of here and bring
in Brian." Sure enough, next season Matty was out and Brian was in. As for Hill's
offense, well, every offense in the NBA is predictable--the Chicago Bulls, for crying out
loud, run a Stone Age triple post, but they run it very well. Precise execution of a
predictable offense is what NBA winners are doing these days, and when O'Neal was
around, Orlando was pretty good at it.
As for the final criticism, I want to see the guy who can keep Hardaway happy. He's a
spectacular player, but he has spectacular flaws as a leader. He is a sullen pouter who
demands superstar treatment even when he doesn't put forth superstar effort or leadership.
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And no one else resembling a leader, no one who might rally the troops when times get
tough, can be found on the Magic roster, with the possible exception of Horace Grant.
Instead, these babies yelped, "Let's get rid of the coach." Hardaway, who led the
insurrection, can become a free agent after the 1998-99 season, and he held a Hill-or-me
hammer over the franchise.
Asked whether he and Grant were responsible for Hill's dismissal, Hardaway's reaction
was, "I know it isn't my fault, or Horace's fault." It's not my fault. It must be someone
else's fault. Now can I go to the bathroom?
Are there any coaches in the league whom team executives still listen to more than they
listen to the children? Pat Riley is one. John Calipari, for the moment, is another. Phil
Jackson may be another, though a single anti-Jackson syllable from Michael Jordan could
change that. The list is short, and Hill was never on it. It has long been a truism that NBA
coaches are hired to be fired. That doesn't mean it's right. Not in every case, anyway. This
was one of the wrong ones.
Activity 2: The 5W's - Fact-Finding
Quite often, people in the public eye become involved in many
community organizations. They may serve as spokespersons for a
cause, donate funds to charitable causes, or become directly involved in
community service. As a result, these philanthropists influence the
youth of today both directly and indirectly through their thoughts and
actions. Celebrities need to be mindful of their influence and are often
held accountable for their actions. In order to ensure the integrity of
their public image they employ a team of individuals who are
responsible for managing their image to the public.
Scenario: You are employed in a public relations company and
one of your high profile clients has made some damaging remarks
about a person or situation. You have contacted all members of the
client's public relations team and have begun to "trouble shoot"
how you will remedy this potentially negative situation.
Troubleshooting is a complex situation. The first step involves
gathering all information: the who, what, when, where, how, and
why
Assignment #2
Read the story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears and then "troubleshoot": who, what,
when, where, why, and how of the situation, (the 5W's of reporting,) so that you can
make an informed decision about the facts as they were presented.
Remember that your client is fictitious.
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The Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the
forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered,
she walked right in.
At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry.
She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
"This porridge is too cold," she said
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up.
After she'd eaten the three bears' breakfasts she decided she was feeling a little tired. So,
she walked into the living room where she saw three chairs. Goldilocks sat in the first
chair to rest her feet.
"This chair is too big!" she exclaimed.
So she sat in the second chair.
"This chair is too big, too!" she whined.
So she tried the last and smallest chair.
"Ahhh, this chair is just right," she sighed. But just as she settled down into the chair to
rest, it broke into pieces!
Goldilocks was very tired by this time, so she went upstairs to the bedroom. She lay
down in the first bed, but it was too hard. Then she lay in the second bed, but it was too
soft. Then she lay down in the third bed and it was just right. Goldilocks fell asleep.
As she was sleeping, the three bears came home.
"Someone's been eating my porridge," growled the Papa bear.
"Someone's been eating my porridge," said the Mama bear.
"Someone's been eating my porridge and they ate it all up!" cried the Baby bear.
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"Someone's been sitting in my chair," growled the Papa bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair," said the Mama bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair and they've broken it all to pieces," cried the Baby
bear.
They decided to look around some more and when they got upstairs to the bedroom, Papa
bear growled, "Someone's been sleeping in my bed,"
"Someone's been sleeping in my bed, too" said the Mama bear
"Someone's been sleeping in my bed and she's still there!" exclaimed Baby bear.
Just then, Goldilocks woke up and saw the three bears. She screamed, "Help!" And she
jumped up and ran out of the room. Goldilocks ran down the stairs, opened the door, and
ran away into the forest. And she never returned to the home of the three bears.
Bears’ House Vandalized
Witnesses Say Blonde Girl Spotted
Fleeing from the Scene!






Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
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Assignment #3
Read the following news article and identify:
Who
What
Where
Why
When
How
Grizzly bear attacks hunter near Cranbrook, B.C.
Police warn people to avoid area as conservation officers search for the mother grizzly
and cubs
CBC News Posted: Sep 02, 2015 10:15 AM PT Last Updated: Sep 02, 2015 11:45 AM
PT
A mother grizzly, originally believed to have been
wounded, is being sought by conservation officers. Officials
have since determined that all the hunter's arrows missed.
(Chris Darimont/University of Victoria)
Police are warning people in Cranbrook, B.C. to avoid an
area east of the city Wednesday morning as conservation officers search for a mother
grizzly bear that attacked a bow hunter last night.
The man was injured, and airlifted to hospital in Calgary, but expected to survive.
The hunter and the bear may have both been going after the same prey — elk that feed in
the area — according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
The mother bear, who was with two cubs, acted defensively in charging the man, officers
believe.
While conservation officers initially thought the hunter hit the grizzly with an arrow,
they've now recovered all five arrows that were shot — meaning the bear was not
wounded in the encounter.
Four officers are tracking the bear, and working to gather more information on what
happened.
The attack happened near City Fields, on Highway 3 near the turnoff to Highway 95a.
With files from Bob Keating
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The Business Communiqué
The memorandum is a form of communication between departments or individuals in a
business or organization and has a specific format:
1. Identify your audience and purpose with the following headings:
To:
From:
Subject:
Date:
Jane Doe
Paul Master
Parking Lot
Restrictions
October 23, 2012
2.
You may wish to send a copy of the memo to someone for reference. Include these
people on a separate line before the subject using the heading “cc” (for carbon
copy.)
3.
The body of the memo follows a standard format which is single-spaced, block
paragraphs, two line spaces between paragraphs, and three line spaces between the
heading and the body of the memorandum.
4.
The body contains information directly related to the organization, is informal in its
tone, and explains and requests the action you expect to be taken.



5.
Paragraph 1 includes the main idea.
Paragraph 2 provides details.
Paragraph 3 requests the action or response.
Memorandums do not require a salutation or a closing.
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Sample Memorandum
Purpose:
Audience:
To remind members of the SAC about the upcoming movie night.
Members of the SAC
MEMO
To:
From:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
All Student Activity Council Members
Ms T. Eacher, SAC Advisor
Mr. A. D. Ministration, Principal Mr. B. D. Min, Vice Principal
Food Bank Movie Night
November 3, 20XX
As we discussed at our last meeting (Wednesday Nov. 1st), Mr. Eacher has given us
permission to have a movie night on Thursday November 9th in the school cafeteria from
5pm until 9pm.
Since the movie night is to benefit the food bank at the church, we are responsible for
collecting non-perishable food items from each person in attendance. We will need to box
and transport those items to the church by Friday the 10th at 9:30am at the latest.
It is advisable that all executive members box all food items Thursday evening while the
members at large (classroom reps), put up all tables and stack the chairs for the
custodians. The SAC executive is to meet me by the cafeteria exit Friday at 9:00am with
the boxed food items so that we can transport them to the church.
Within your lifetime, you will probably send and receive a great number of letters. Some
of those letters will likely be personal and some will likely be related to business.
Personal (Informal) letters
Personal letters may include e-mails,
postcards, Christmas cars, birthday cards
and letters to friends, to name a few
examples.
The main way personal letters differ from
formal letters is their language. Personal
letters use informal language to offer a
personal touch, being comfort through
familiarity or suggest a laid back manner.
Personal letters also knows as friendly
letters have five parts.
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Business (Formal) Letters
Business letters are used to communicate in the business world. They include memos,
resumes and cover letters, legal letters and updates to name a few.
Business letters contain a formal level of language in order to convey a sense of
responsibility to, and respect for the intended reader.
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Assignment #4
You work in the mailroom of a major office building. You are under pressure to keep the
business correspondence moving quickly and are instructed to prioritize the business mail
by separating the mail into two piles; one pile for personal mail and one pile for formal
correspondence.
As you skim the mail you only see a portion of each letter, so you have to make a quick
judgment as to whether or not it is person (informal) or business (formal).
On you assignment paper select the correct letter type for each of the following
statements.
Dear Reader:
Business
Business
Personal
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
Business
Personal
As the Minster of Training, colleges and Universities, I am
pleased to release the report, EmploymentProfil, 2014-15
Graduates of Ontario Colleges. The report provides a
snapshot picture of the employment experiences of college
graduates six months after graduation.
Please accept my application for the position of apprentice
mechanic, advertised in the Ottawa Sun
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours truly,
LOL
Govern yourself accordingly
I confirm receipt of your correspondence darted ….
We are writing this letter to inform you of the assessment…
Come over tonight
CC.
Subject: Food Bank Movie Night
Write back soon
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Assignment #5
Write an inter-office memo to the manager of Parking, letting him/her know that your car
has been scratched three times in the past month and you would like more security in the
parking lot to deter this type of vandalism. Refer to page 10 of this lesson for an example
of a memo.
Writing an E-mail
Most people have written an email at some point or another. However, there are some
things to keep in mind depending on the audience who will be receiving your email.
Make note of the following tips:





Include a specific subject line
Keep the tone professional when dealing with colleagues or your boss
Do not use internet short forms such as “TTYL” in professional emails
Do not send unnecessary emails in the work place
Once sent, emails cannot be taken back!
Written Format of an E-mail
Assignment #6:
Email
Write an email to a friend inviting them to a party on the weekend.
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Acting on Language - The Survey
Conducting a Survey
According to The Oxford English Reference Dictionary, a survey is defined
as “the result or findings of this, esp. in a written report.”
When you conduct a survey, you must be familiar with your audience so
that you will be able to generate a series of questions that will accurately
reflect the belief(s) of your audience. In order to do this, you should
consider:
 placing your topic sentence or thesis at the beginning or end of your survey,
depending upon your reader’s level of opposition to the topic;
 following an organizational plan that anticipates your audience’s view to your
topic
 relying on logical reasoning;
 avoiding a first person point of view so that your reader can focus on the issue,
not you as the writer; and
 presenting details and or examples to illustrate your topic
The Survey - Writing Process
Step 1: State your Purpose
Write a sentence that indicates what you want your reader to think
about.
Step 2: Compose simple, brief questions.
You may wish to use simple yes or no questions for your reader’s to respond to, this
ensures that your results are clear and easy to analyze.
Step 3: Conduct the Survey.
Conduct and collect all responses as accurately as possible.
Step 4: Summarize your Results.
Record and describe the numbers and groups of those people surveyed. Interpret your
results carefully in order to reach a conclusion. Save your results in a chart format so that
you can provide a sample for your research report.
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Questionnaire Survey
Sex:
M 
F 
Age: ______
Yes: 
Are you married?
No: 
Do you consider yourself more of a “day person” or a “night owl”?________________
What section of the newspaper do you read first:________________________
Do you live alone?:
Yes: 
No: 
How many hours of television do you watch per week? ___________
Do you have a dog?: 
a cat? 
Do you recycle any products:
If yes, paper?
a bird?
Yes: 
 aluminum?: 
No: 
glass? 
Are you satisfied with the current Prime Minister?
Yes: 
No:

Which are you more concerned about, the economy  or the environment? 
Should Canadians buy only products made in Canada?
Yes: 
No: 
How many close friends do you have, not including family?_________
How many times per week do you see people for a social occasion? ___________
Assignment #7
Create a survey to find out if the students at the college want a swimming pool added to
the new student centre that is being built. Your survey must contain at least 10
questions.
Consider these questions as you make your survey:
 Have I provided up to date knowledge about the topic?
 Have I narrowed the focus of the topic?
 Are the questions grouped according to topic(s)?
 Have I identified my purpose and audience?
 Is the format I have chosen useful for gathering the necessary information?
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Assignment #8
Read the following poem by Robert Frost and complete the questions that follow.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost
1. Using a dictionary, look up the meaning of the following words. Choose the
definition that is most appropriate considering how the word is used in the poem.
a) diverged
b) undergrowth
c) trodden (past tense of tread)
2. Describe the choice that the traveler had to make in the poem. [1] Provide details
about each option.
3. How has the decision affected the traveler’s life in the years that have passed? Quote
the line(s) from the poem that supports this.
4. In one sentence, state what you think the poet is trying to say about choices. Begin
with, “I think the poet is trying to say that…”.
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Assignment #9
Read the following, then answer the questions that follow.
The Step Not Taken
By Paul D'Angelo
Paul D'Angelo's usual idea of writing is to tell fish stories, and he admits that his, like
most, will stretch the truth. But one day the humour columnist for Canadian Sport
Fishing stepped into a Toronto elevator, and lived the true and sobering story that
follows. When it appeared, in The Globe and Mail of April 3, 1995, it struck a deep
chord: dozens of readers sent replies, one of them 5000 words long. Several recounted
tragic experiences they had just had them-selves, and told how D'Angelo's confession had
helped them face their own trials. The author of this thought-provoking essay has an
unusual background for a writer. Born in Toronto, Paul D'Angelo never went to
university but always read a lot, an activity that gave him a way with words. After high
school he left for Europe and Africa, where he spent seven years travelling, working here
and there, and just living life. In the meantime, on a visit home he launched a seasonal
greeting card business, which, still left him seven months a year to roam. For some years
now, he and his family have lived in Toronto, where he thinks of himself mostly as an
entrepreneur, but goes north to fish pike and bass for fun, and then writes about it in
several columns a year. "Write what you live!" he says. Though D'Angelo finds most
writing slow and tough, he fell our selection so strongly that he just wrote it right off, to
"get it off his chest, " and the Globe changed only one word. Though he "felt better, " his
hope that the young man in the elevator would see the article and respond never came
true. Perhaps it still could, if that young man should happen to see the pages that follow.
A few weeks ago I was followed into an office-building elevator by a well-dressed young
man carrying a briefcase. He looked very sharp. Very buttoned-down. Wearing gold
wire-frame glasses, he was of medium height and build with neatly trimmed brown hair
and, I would guess, in his mid-20s. Typical junior executive material. There was nothing
about him that seemed unusual. Nothing at all to indicate what was about to take place.
The elevator had only one control panel, and I excused myself as I leaned over to his side
of the car and pushed the button for the 10th floor. He pushed the button for the 15th. The
doors of the elevator closed and we began to ascend. Employing typical Toronto elevator
etiquette, I stood staring up at the row of floor numbers above the doors while purposely
ignoring my fellow passenger. Then it happened. A sudden strained gasp. Turning toward
the noise, I was astonished to see the young man drop his briefcase and burst into tears.
Our eyes met for a split second and, as if slapped, he averted his face from me, leaned his
head against the wood-panelled wall of the elevator and continued to weep.
And what I did next still shames me.
The elevator stopped at the 10th floor and, without looking back, I stepped out. I stood in
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the hallway, a bundle of mixed emotions, wondering what to do. A combination of guilt
and uncertainty washed over me. Should I go up to the 15th floor and make sure he's
okay? Should I search him out from office to office? Should I risk the embarrassment it
might cause him? Is he mentally disturbed? A manic depressive, perhaps? Is he a suicide
just waiting to happen?
I didn't know what to do. So I did nothing.
And now he haunts me. Not with fear, of course, but with a sense of regret. I see his face
crumbling before he turns to the wall. I see his shoulders heave as he sobs in a
combination of sorrow and shame. I wonder now what brought him to that moment in
time. How long had he been holding his pain inside before he could no longer contain it?
What could possibly have overwhelmed him to such an extent that he was unable to keep
from crying out?
Had he just visited the doctor and been told that he had an incurable disease? Was he
having marital problems? Was his wife ill? His child? Had someone dear recently died?
Was he being laid off? Was he looking for a job and meeting with no success? Was he
having financial woes? Was he without friends in the city and crushed by loneliness?
The sorrows of this world are endless.
The few people I have told about the incident all say I did the proper thing, the best thing,
by leaving the young man alone.
But they are wrong.
Like so many things in life, I know now what I should have done then. I should have
thrown caution to the winds and done the right thing. Not the big-city thing. The right
thing. The human thing. The thing I would want someone to do if they ever found my son
crying in an elevator. I should have given him the opportunity to unload his sadness onto
my shoulders. I should have reached out a hand and patted him on the back. I should have
said something like, "Why don't you let me buy you a cup of coffee and you can tell me
all your problems. There's no reason to feel self-conscious. I'll listen for as long as you
want to talk."
What would his reaction have been to that? Would he have turned even further to the
wall? Or would he have turned on me? Cursing me? Telling me to mind my own damned
business? Would he have lashed out at me? Sorrow and insecurity turning to rage.
Would he have physically attacked me? Or would he have gone with me for that cup of
coffee?
I don't know. I'll never know. All I can be certain of is I left him in the elevator with tears
streaming down his face. And that he was alone. All alone. I hope that somehow he gets
to read these words, because I want him to know that I'm pulling for him. That I hope
things are looking up for him. That I hope his sorrow is in the past. That I hope he is
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never again burdened with such awful despair. That I am thinking of him. That I said a
prayer for him. That I was wrong, dreadfully wrong, not to step forward in his time of
need.
That I' m sorry.
(Taken from Conrad, R. The Act of Writing 5th ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Ltd., 2003.)
After reading the essay entitled “The Step Not Taken” by Paul D’Angelo answer the
following questions on your own paper and submit them for evaluation.
1. What seems to be D’Angelo’s purpose in writing this essay? What message is he
sending to his audience?
2. Outline some advantages and disadvantages of offering to help the stranger on the
elevator:
3. Explain “the big city thing” that D’Angelo refers to in paragraph 11.
Assignment #10
Read the following, then answer the questions that follow.
38 Watched Stabbing
by Max Haines
The neighbourhood was middle class; ordinary people leading ordinary lives. The crime
and violence often associated with New York City didn't apply to the Kew Gardens
section of Queens. Tree lined streets, Tudor styled store fronts — Kew Gardens was a
good place to live.
Catherine Genovese lived there. In the early hours of March 13,1964, the twenty-eight
year old bar manager cried out to her neighbours for help. Her plea went unheeded. At
precisely 3:20 a.m.. Kitty, as she was known to everyone in the neighbourhood, parked
her red Fiat in the Long Island Railroad Station parking lot. She locked her car and, as
usual, started walking toward the door leading to her apartment at 82-70 Austin Street.
Shops along Austin Street occupy the first floor. Apartments are on the second. Because
of this, the entrance to Kitty's apartment was at the rear of the building, about one
hundred feet from where she parked her car.
Just as she was about to proceed to her apartment she noticed a man lurking at the far end
of the parking lot. Otherwise the streets were deserted. Apprehensive about the stranger,
she decided to walk along Austin Street toward a police call box. Kitty could hear the
footsteps of the man following her. He was gaining rapidly. Under a street light, in front
of a bookstore, and directly across from a ten storey apartment building, the man grabbed
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the terrified woman.
Kitty screamed, "Oh my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!"
Lights blinked on in the apartment building. Windows slid open. Someone shouted, "Let
that girl alone."
The attacker shrugged and walked down Austin Street.
No one came to Kitty's assistance. No one called the police. The windows of the
apartment building slid closed. One by one the lights went out.
Down on the street, Kitty Genovese got to her feet. Staggering slightly, she slowly
retraced her steps, desperately trying to get to the safety of her apartment entrance. She
made it to the side of her building. To her horror her assailant had returned. Again he
grabbed her and stabbed her once more.
Kitty screamed, "I'm dying, I'm dying."
More windows opened, more lights went on. Kitty's attacker walked down Austin Street,
got into his car and drove away. Behind closed windows, apprehensive eyes peered down
at the scene below. Still no one came to Kitty's assistance. One by one, like snuffed out
candles, the lights of the apartments blinked off. Now bleeding profusely Kitty rose once
more to her feet. Staggering and falling, she made her way to the rear of her building. She
managed to open the door to the building and half crawled to the foot of the stairs.
Unbelievably, her assailant returned for the third time and stabbed her once more, this
time fatally. Then he disappeared into the night.
At 3:50 a.m. a neighbour of Kitty's called the police. They took only two minutes to
arrive at the scene. The man who had made the call explained that he had consulted with
a friend by phone in another section of the city before he placed the call. Why hadn't he
called earlier? He told the police he didn't want to get involved. The investigation into
Miss Genovese's death was strange and frightening in many ways. Thirty two minutes
had elapsed from the time she had parked her car in the station parking lot until the police
arrived at the scene of the murder. On two occasions the killer had left and returned. Had
anyone called the police, most certainly Miss Genovese would not have been killed. To
summon the police by phone in that section of Queens, it is only necessary to dial zero.
Kitty's neighbours, many of whom knew her well, were interviewed by police and
reporters. Incredibly 38 individuals had witnessed the attacks and not one had called the
police. Hardened homicide detectives, who had thought they had witnessed every human
emotion, were at a loss as to why all 38 citizens had chosen not to make a simple
telephone call. They all recognized the reluctance of citizens to become involved when
there is a risk of danger to themselves, but this was a different situation. An anonymous
phone call from the safety of your own home cannot be considered a dangerous act. Later
the reluctant witnesses gave a variety of answers:
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"I put out the light and we were able to see better."
"I don t know."
"I didn't want my husband to get involved."
"I was tired."
"Frankly, we were afraid."
"We thought it was a lovers' quarrel."
"I just took a look and went back to bed."
Winston Moseley a 29-year-old business machine operator was later charged with the
Genovese murder. When questioned he confessed to killing two other women, as well as
raping and robbing scores of others. He was a married man with two children and no
previous record. He had returned to kill Miss Genovese for fear that she could identify
him.
At Moseley’s trial, when the jury brought in a verdict of guilty with a recommendation
for the death penalty, the court spectators stood and cheered. Amongst those who cheered
that day were several of the 38 witnesses who didn't dial zero to save Catherine
Genovese’s life.
Assignment:
After reading the article entitled “38 Watched Stabbing” by Max Haines answer the
following questions on your own paper and submit them for evaluation.
Consider the following definitions:
TONE: the attitude or feeling that comes across in a piece of writing, revealed by the
writer’s word choice and general writing style. The tone can be serious, angry, satirical,
humourous, sarcastic, sad, etc.
IRONY: a literary device that creates a contrast or discrepancy between what is said and
what is meant. Irony of situation is a contrast between what is expected to happen and
what does happen. For example: an orphan becomes a millionaire, a peace activist is
shot to death.
Answer the following questions in complete sentences:
1. Explain the irony in the final paragraph of this article.
2. What is the author’s tone? Use direct quotations from the article that clearly indicate
this tone.
3. In social psychology, there is a phenomenon referred to as the Bystander Effect. This
theory speculates that as the “number of bystanders increases, the likelihood of any
one bystander helping another decreases.” As a result, additional time will pass
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before anyone seeks outside help for a person in distress. Another hypothesis is
something called the Diffusion of Responsibility. This is simply a decrease in the
feeling of personal responsibility one feels when in the presence of many other
people. The greater the number of bystanders, the less responsibility the individual
feels. In cases where there are many people present during an emergency, it becomes
much more likely than any one individual will simply do nothing.
(www.crimelibrary.com)
How do the theories of the Bystander Effect and the Diffusion of Responsibility apply
to the case of Kitty Genovese? What would have likely been the result if she had
been attacked in an isolated area with only one bystander? (8 marks)
Assignment #11
Journal Entry
Describe a time when the actions of a stranger made you wonder how to react. Did you
get involved? Ignore the situation? Outline the choices you faced and the rationale for
your decision. Reflect on this choice. Do you regret it today? Did you make the right
choice based on the circumstances? Explain.
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Assignment #12 - CPT
Independent Study – Research Paper Guidelines
The Independent Study is the last step before writing the final exam and completing the
course. It is worth 10% of the course mark.
The Research Paper
A research paper is a study of a topic. It should be about 1000-1300 (4-5 pages)
words long and must include both a cover page and bibliography. Information about
these will be provided later in the lesson.
Part 1
THE TOPIC
1.
Choose a topic. It must be one that interests you and gives you an opportunity to
explore, discuss or comment on events, theories or situations. You should be able
to take a stand, have a point of view or investigate a subject.
2.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Will I have time to complete this?
- Are resources/information available?
- Is the topic too difficult?
- Do I need to broaden or narrow the focus of my topic?
3.
Look up information on your topic in TWO general references such as
encyclopaedias, reference books or a list of bonafide internet sites.
4.
Give your teacher the following:
- The topic
- A one-two sentence summary of what you want to do with the topic
- A list of the general references you’ve found so far. (Use proper bibliographic
format as shown at the end of the lesson.)
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Part 2
1.
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BEGINNING THE RESEARCH
Organize your topic in broad categories by breaking it down into manageable
units.
Eg.
Firefighting as a career
Major headings:
2.
Role of firefighters
Working conditions
Qualifications
Training
Job opportunities in this region
Under each major heading, list minor headings related to it. You may find some
major headings may be omitted if information isn’t important or adequate.
3.
Eg.
Firefighting as a career
Major heading:
Minor headings:
4.
Role of firefighters
Control and extinguish fires
Respond to other emergencies
Building inspections for fire hazards
Administer para-medical aid
Promote fire safety
Draw a conclusion or an observation about your topic. This will be your working
THESIS or controlling idea or argument.
Example: Once regarded as a job meant solely for extinguishing fires,
firefighting today has evolved into a complex, multi-faceted
profession.
5.
Find TWO specific references. Give your teacher a bibliographic entry for these
references as well.
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Part 3
1.
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THE OUTLINE
In this assignment, you will develop the paper’s outline. Look at the following
example of an outline:
Generalization:
THESIS
Once regarded as a job meant solely for
extinguishing fires, firefighting today has evolved
into a complex, multi-faceted profession.
1st major heading:
I
The role of firefighters has become more of
prevention, education, and disaster preparation
and training than just the act of putting out
fires.
Evidence:
Community and school education programs,
building inspections
Evidence:
Regular training for help with disaster situations
such as floods, road accidents, terrorist acts etc.
2nd major heading: II
Evidence:
3rd major heading
III
Evidence:
2.
The working conditions are very much products
of the modern age, thanks to the increased
awareness of governments and society in
general.
Society expects more from its professionals. To
attract qualified and capable individuals, the job
has to be made more attractive.
Only qualified individuals need apply. Current
physical and intellectual expectations for new
firefighters require extensive pre-application
preparation and learning.
Physical testing
Further educational background requirements
When providing your outline, it would be helpful to include relevant statistics or
quotes to help prove your thesis. Remember you are trying to convince your reader.
NOTE ABOUT PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is a serious error and will result in a failing
mark. Plagiarism means passing off as your own words or ideas of someone else.
Therefore, you must document any borrowed information or material.
Provide ONE-TWO more references with bibliographic citations and brief
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Part 4
1.
Revised Sept 2015
THE INTRODUCTION & CONCLUSION
The introductory and concluding paragraphs are often considered the most
difficult parts to write. Introductory paragraphs can be more effectively written
after other sections of the draft are completed.
The introduction has two purposes:
i)
ii)
to capture the reader’s attention
to introduce the material
Avoid beginnings that are too general, too theoretical or too far removed from the
central concerns of the paper. Clearly state the thesis.
Likewise, in the conclusion, remind your reader of the thesis, but do not restate it
in the same words nor introduce entire new and unresolved material. However,
you might wish to suggest some implications of the topic that you haven’t dealt
with.
2.
Part 5
Give your teacher the introduction and conclusion. Double-space your work.
THE FIRST DRAFT & QUOTING SOURCES
1.
Write in the third person, simple past tense (objective writing)
2.
Paragraphs must have clear topic sentences.
3.
Double space all drafts
4.
Use transitional words and phrases to give the paragraph coherence and to relate it
to other paragraphs and your thesis.
5.
Revise the first draft before handing it in. Include as well a first draft of the
bibliography.
Your first draft should include Parenthetical Notes.
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Parenthetical notes are a way of documenting borrowed material. Where documentation
is required, it should be placed in parentheses (brackets) after the quoted passage,
borrowed factual data, or paraphrased ideas. These parenthetical notes must enable the
reader to answer three questions about the borrowed material:



Who said it? (author or editor)
When was it said? (Year)
Where was it said? (Title of book, article or internet site)
In other words, the brackets should contain the author’s surname, date of
publication, and the page number(s) from which the material was borrowed.
The rest of the information -author’s other names and publication’s title - are in
the bibliography.
Every quotation should have an introduction or bridge into the body of the paragraph.
There must be some reference or tie-in to the quotation’s source.
Parenthetical notes would be used for two types of quotations, indirect and direct.
Indirect quotation: The ideas of someone else expressed in your words. This includes
borrowed conclusions, opinions, beliefs, interpretations or arguments. You must place the
parenthetical note immediately following the indirectly quoted material. Be careful not to
disrupt the flow of your essay with the placement of these notes.
Example:
An indirect quotation
Historian George Cradley has demonstrated that, had the Americans pressed harder at
Yalta, Stalin would have been forced to temporize and perhaps even retreat from his
more outrageous demands (1973, p. 134-136)…More than six billion buildings had been
destroyed, depriving more than 25 million people of shelter (Horowitz, 1965, p.28).
Stalin was in no position to be a tough bargainer.
Direct quotation:
Any sentence or paragraph taken word for word from any source.
There are two types:
Short quoted passage of about 40 words or less:
This is blended into the body of your essay and set apart only by quotation marks with
the parenthetical note at the end.
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Example: Short direct quotation
Henry Higgins said, “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” (Rodgers and
Hammerstein, 1959, p. 48)
Example: Short direct quotation
But this did not exhaust Soviet attempts to end the cold war in Europe. “From the
Russian viewpoint,” commented Isaac Deutscher,” these moves made no sense at all
unless they were part of a policy calculated to bring about the unification of Germany and
the withdrawal of occupation armies.” (1963, p.146) There was little doubt in Berlin that
Moscow…
Example: Long direct quotation
There was really no high political idealism here; there was little to choose between the
sides. But, to Reed, in the whole unworthy mess, the entente seemed to be a bit of
hypocrisy. He was especially strong in his criticism of England.
who grips the Red Sea, sucks the blood from India, menaces half a
billion human beings from Hong Kong, owns all of Australia, half of
North America, and half of Africa…the great intriguer, sitting like a
spider in the web of nations…It was England’s will that Germany should
be destroyed.
(Albricht, 1975, p. 46)
Part 6
THE BIBLIOGRAPHY
You must provide a bibliography, a list of all the resources you used for your paper. This
must be handed in with the first draft. The bibliography is listed as the last page of
the paper.
Important notes about the bibliography:
* Entries must be in alphabetical order according to the first word of each entry.
* Entries should NOT be numbered.
* Pages on which the entries appear should not be divided into subheadings such as
‘book,’ ‘encyclopedias,’ etc.
* Entries should be single-spaced; however, lines should left between separate entries.
* Capitalization, punctuation and spelling must be exact.
* If information about an entry is missing, the rest of the source must still be used.
*
For types of works not listed below, see your teacher.
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Your bibliography must follow the format as presented below:
FOR A BOOK:
Author’s last name, first name. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright
year.
example:
Fogle, Bruce. Training Your Dog. New York: DK Publishing, 2001.
If you only used part of a book:
Fogle, Bruce. Training Your Dog. New York: DK Publishing, 2001, pp. 50-55.
FOR AN ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE THAT IS SIGNED:
Article author’s last name, first name. "Title of article." Name of encyclopedia. Copyright
year. Volume number, page(s).
example:
Clark, William W. "Gothic Art." World Book Encyclopedia. 2002.
Volume 8, pp. 277-278.
FOR AN ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE THAT ISN’T SIGNED:
"Title of article." Name of encyclopedia. Copyright year. Volume number, page(s).
example:
"Golden Retriever." World Book Encyclopedia. 1999. Volume 8, p.255.
FOR A MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:
Article author’s last name, first name. "Title or headline of article." Name of magazine or
newspaper. Date of magazine or newspaper, page(s).
example:
McGill, Kristy. "A Baltic Scramble." Faces. May, 2003, p. 27.
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FOR AN INTERNET ADDRESS:
Author’s last name, first name. "Title of item." [Online] Available
http://address/filename, date of document or download.
example:
DiStefano, Vince. "Guidelines for Better Writing." [Online] Available
http://www.usa.net/~vinced/home/better-writing.html, October 5, 2002.
This example of how to cite an INTERNET source was downloaded from this
online source.
FOR AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS:
Title of material. Type of material. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date.
example:
Bizet’s Dream. Videotape. New York: Sony Wonder, 1998.
FOR A CD-ROM:
"Article title." CD-ROM title. CD-ROM. Copyright date.
example:
"Titanic Disaster." Encarta 99 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. 1999.
FOR AN INTERVIEW:
Name of person interviewed (last name first). Kind of interview. Date.
example:
Watson, Cosmo. Personal interview. July 29, 2003.
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Your finished bibliography should be alphabetized by the first word of the entry,
and will look something like this:
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bizet’s Dream. Videotape. New York: Sony Wonder, 1998.
Clark, William W. "Gothic Art." World Book Encyclopedia. 2002.
Volume 8, pp. 284-286.
DiStefano, Vince. "Guidelines for Better Writing." [Online] Available
http://www.usa.net/~vinced/home/better-writing.html, October 5, 2002.
Fogle, Bruce. Training Your Dog. New York: DK Publishing, 2001, pp. 50-55.
"Golden Retriever." World Book Encyclopedia. 1999. Volume 8, p.255.
McGill, Kristy. "A Baltic Scramble." Faces. May, 2003, p. 27.
"Titanic Disaster." Encarta 99 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. 1999.
Watson, Cosmo. Personal interview. July 29, 2003.
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Part 7
Revised Sept 2015
THE FINAL DRAFT
Hand in your final draft. Work must be typed or neatly handwritten, double-spaced, on
one side of the paper only. No hole-punched paper unless it is in a binder or duotang.
Margins should be 3.8 cm (1.5”) on the left and 2.5cm (1”) on the other three sides.
Pagination – Arabic numerals at the top of each page, centered or right corner, excluding
the title page, the first page of the paper and the bibliography (the title ‘Bibliography’ is
centered and at the top of its page.
You must include a title page that will look like this:
Title
Tit
Name:
Course:
Date submitted:
To: (teacher’s name)
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