Reading & Writing with Georgie Ziff Welcome to English 201A/B Reading & Writing with Georgie Ziff

About 201 A/B Q: What does 201A and 201B mean? A: You’re in the A section if you have not taken any 201 class. A: You’re in the B section if you have taken 201A, and need more work on the skills for success in English 1A. Q: What is the point of two sections? A: It’s all about being successful in English 1A: college level English… you have the time and opportunity to improve your writing.

About 201 A/B to 1A Q: How will I know if I am ready for 1A? A: If your writing has improved to the point that you will be successful in 1A; sentence level and organizational challenges have been conquered. Throughout the course you will work on the necessary skills. Q: But if I do well in 201A, doesn’t that mean I can go into 1A? A: No. That means you may then take 201B. Q: What if I take 201B but then I’m still not ready for 1A? A: In that case you will not receive a passing grade and must repeat 201B.

About me… - Two boys: 18 & 22 - We live in Oakland. Grew up on the East Coast and the Midwest, but came to California for a one year job and never left. M.A. in Composition and Creative Writing from CSUEB B.A. from CSUEB: double major in English and Women’s Studies 8th year teaching college composition at California State University East Bay; 6th year at Merritt College; 5th year at Berkeley City College; 2nd year at Los Medanos College Certified Scorer/Reader – Educational Testing Service – GRE, EPT, EAP Why the photo? Because we’re all that kid on the inside; find your own voice in your writing. My advice: school will always be ready for you when you are ready for school.

Now about you… On a piece of paper please write the following… name and student I.D. number contact phone number other courses currently taking what college English courses you’ve taken and where Cur - - employment and schedule things - how you feel about your writing - why are you in college? Tell me about your academic goals, briefly.

About Writing… my favorite writing quote: “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.” William Strunk Jr. Elements of Style

Required Course Materials Prof Ziff’s 201 class reader – available in the campus bookstore. *Note – yes, the reader IS required – bring it to every class. Blank composition book for your writing journal Blue book for final in-class essay USB flash drive and/or an online free account with Dropbox.com

Grading in the Course Essays 60% Homework 15% Presentation 5% Writing Journal 5% Participation 5% In-class essay 5% Quizzes 5%

Save Your Work Online * Create a free account at www.dropbox.com for saving your work online. You can then access it in the computer lab. This is a great tool – it not only provides you with a place to save work, it also synchronizes any changes you make online, so your Dropbox is always up to date! * Use a flashdrive as backup, in case you cannot go online.

Homework Assignments The weekly homework assignments have TWO parts. 1. write a summary of the article: the main points  2. either a response of HOW the information will help your writing, OR write an example of what you learned from the article - details vary by the week - be sure to read the directions.  All homework assignments MUST be submitted through the assignment link in the Moodle class page by Wednesday night. The hyperlinked homework articles are listed on the website. Click to access each article. To get full credit of 5 points, turn in your work the week it is due; late is accepted late for only partial credit: 3 points the following week, and 1 point any following weeks.

Essay Writing Three multi-draft out-of-class essays One in-class essay on the last day of class Essays will be peer-reviewed in class by exchanging drafts with classmates. No draft on a peer review day? Lower essay grade! You are encouraged to visit the Learning Center to work with tutors. Upload your papers as you revise to this FREE online spelling/grammar check website: www.paperrater.com Late papers are discouraged, and will be receive one full grade deduction from the final essay grade. Final draft packets = final draft, with correct MLA Works Cited List ON TOP stapled to all notes and peer reviews

Group Presentation You will sign up to present a grammar topic to the class as an activity or a game with a partner or a group. Plan for each person to have a specific role in researching, creating, and presenting.  The presentation consists of three parts:       1) An introduction of the topic - perhaps showing examples      2) Demonstration of the topic - how to use or create correct grammar      3) A class activity that involves using the grammatical concept - a game, quiz, or exercise. Be creative! Prizes are welcome : )

Attendance Policy Come to class prepared and on time Do not contact me about missing class with excuses or reasons or explanations. 30 min late = an absence Leaving early = an absence 5 absences= I reserve the right to drop you from the course Failure to submit work = you can earn an F for the course Computer lab days are required = missing the lab or arriving unprepared will result in a 5 point deduction off the final essay grade.

Today’s Objectives To get oriented to the course, the syllabus, requirements, expectations, and so forth. To break/melt the ice with one another To form and begin working in collaborative groups

Break the Ice Form groups of three Share something interesting about yourself: what do you like to do outside of school? Find one thing that everyone in your group has in common. Exchange email/contact information with each other

In the Spotlight Each of you will in turn introduce one person in your group and share what you learned about him/her Share what everyone in your group has in common

Working as a Team Together come up with 3 to 4 questions you have about this course Now, with the syllabus, try to find the answers to the questions you came up with Let’s talk about the questions you couldn’t find answers to…

What to expect next class… Writing/grammar presentation sign ups Discussion of writing process Your first reading assignment

Your Homework Buy the class reader, a blank composition book, Blue book, and a stapler Download the Syllabus and Schedule, noting the homework assignments Bookmark the class websites: Moodle and www.georgiesenglishwiki.pbworks.com