TODAY’S GOALS Continue discussion of past writing experiences Discus 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)An implicit theme b)Logical transitions c)A clear thesis d)None of the above 2.The main reason you could be in danger of failing ENC1930 are: a)Missing 6 or more classes b)Not turning in one of the four major essays c)Committing plagiarism in your writing d)All of the above For questions 3 and 4, answer the following in a few complete sentences: 1.Identify one of the learning outcomes described on the class syllabus. 2.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)An implicit theme b)Logical transitions c)A clear thesis d)None of the above 2.The main reason you could be in danger of failing ENC1930 are: a)Missing 6 or more classes b)Not turning in one of the four major essays c)Committing plagiarism in your writing d)All of the above For questions 3 and 4, answer the following in a few complete sentences: 1.Identify one of the learning outcomes described on the class syllabus. 2.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.

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?

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