Critical Thinking

Turn in Observation papers.

Thinkwrite:  Describe how writing the Observation paper went for you.  What was the hardest part of the process?  Did you like your topic?  Do you like the paper you wrote?  Is there anything you would have done differently?

We look at page 36.  Do you indeed use critical thinking to make decisions?

Groups:  You have to buy a vehicle. Make a list of the activities you will go through to gather evidence in order to choose the right vehicle.

Now let's pretend that, once you have decided on the car, you have to convince a reluctant partner/investor that this is the car to buy. 

Your claim:  This is the RIGHT car for us.
What (pretend) evidence will you provide to support that claim?  (On board.)

You read pages 40-43 in Bedford. Answer these questions in your daybook:

1. Give two facts about the vehicle you currently drive.
2. Make up a statistic about your current vehicle.
3. Who would you consider is qualified as an expert about your kind of vehicle?  Give a name or a job title for this person.
4. a. Give an example of "firsthand observation" about your    vehicle. 
    b. Explain the pros and cons of using firsthand observation in persuasion.

Homework:

1.  Watch two short videos about Consumerism before class Monday.

• Video Number One: Big Ideas That Changed the World --just the first 4 minutes.
• Video Number Two: Can Money Buy Happiness? -- the whole thing.

These provide background information you need for writing the next paper.

2.  No TWFTD.  I have your daybooks. If you want to wait until Monday to hand in your daybook, there is no penalty.

 

 

The OED and Critical Reading

Letters turned in.  See yesterday's thinkwrite.

I. Here's the Oxford English Dictionary.  From  now on, if I tell you that a TWFTD must come out of the OED, that's where you go for a definition and a quote.

II. Meet William Kamkwamba. Reading can change your life.

William Kamkwamba. first time at TED.

Now, William later.

His website.

III. What is critical reading? Find the answer on page 17.

Read pages 20-22 in Bedford under "Responding to Reading."

Take the handout and annotate the reading on it. Make sure this is in your daybook for the check tomorrow. Use symbols; provide a key to those symbols. Show that you are analyzing the reading, and discovering its structure.

Homework:

1. Finish annotating the handout.

2.  Have your Final Version Long Observation printed and ready to hand in, as well as all drafts and blue comment sheets.

3.  Have your daybook ready to hand in for checking. Include the observation notes.

4.  TWFTD:  annotate in OED

Editing

As you turn your letters in, thinkwrite in your daybooks about this assignment. How did the writing process go for you? Was it hard/easy to choose topics?  Did you write drafts?  Was it hard to focus on an audience, or easy? How much did you write? Do you like what you produced?


Open your draft in TurnItIn in Moodle.  Look at corrections, make changes, ask questions.

This is the only class time for editing issues.  You may ask me outside of class for more help.

Homework:

1.  Be finishing your Observation paper proofreading.  The final version, with ALL drafts and blue sheets, is due Friday.

2.  TWFTD:  no word until tomorrow.

Draft #2 Long Observation

Get out your Writer's Page from Draft #1 and attach to Draft #2 with new comment sheets.

Review of sentences:

Coordination =    s    v       ,  fanboys     s       v  .


Subordination =        Sub. Conj.    s       v    ,     s        v      . 
                                                         or
                                   S       v           sub. conj.    s      v     .

Do what the Writer's Page tells you to do with your draft #2.  Then we exchange.

When you are done, you upload your electronic file of your draft in Moodle.

Homework:

1.  Letters are due tomorrow.  Make sure they are formatted correctly, or I'll hand them back to you.  MLA heading, font size 12, Times New Roman, Genre/Purpose/Audience/Subject Line to start.

2.  TWFTD:  tough

Why Is English So Hard to Spell?

Legos returned.  This note was on one revision sheet:

"I didn't change anything because one person got 12/12 and one got 8/12.  I don't know how that is possible.  So if you could build my Legos project that would help me know if I am the mistaken one, or if the builder was." 

What do you think I got for a score on that build?

• Please be convinced, clear communication is hard work.
• Experience helps; find out how someone else has solved the problem, or try it out on as many people as you can (whatever it is!).

Any questions about the draft due tomorrow or the letters due Wednesday?

And now for something completely different. Here is the link to today's lecture on "Why Is English So Hard to Spell?

In your daybooks, number from 1 to 8. 

Homework:

1. Draft #2 Observation is due.  It must be typed, MLA style, hard copy ready at the beginning of class, but electronic version available to upload in Moodle.

2. TWFTD: punk