Monday, February 18, 2013

Mama C for Black History Month

In addition to the main event at 3:00 in the Arena Theater, Mama C will be at the Center for Diversity studies (A-108) to hang out with students who are interested in meeting her.



Judy Taylor Scholarship


Sunday, February 17, 2013

How to Write a Paragraph



A paragraph is, first and foremost, a unit of thought. You are telling me what you think about a particular topic. In this case you are responding to a question prompt. Therefore, the first sentence should introduce your thought as clearly as possible. I should be able to tell by the first sentence what that paragraph will express to me. Ideally, your first sentence should state a claim. The following sentences should draw evidence from the book to support your claim. They should convince me that what you say is supported by the book. The concluding sentence should answer the question, “So what?” How has this paragraph answered the question that you selected? How has it added depth or breadth to our understanding of the topic? How am I a smarter or better-informed person for having read this paragraph? Very few paragraphs answer all these questions, but you should try to accomplish at least one of them. That is the ideal and the basic structure. Remember, I want to know what you really think; not what you think I want you to think. Have fun, and speak your mind! It’s easy when you actually believe what you are writing.

Grading—paragraphs will be graded on the following:
1. Argument: does the paragraph have a topic sentence/conclusion that stakes a claim?
2. Evidence, does the paragraph draw specific references from the assigned material as evidence to support the claim(s) made in your paragraph?
3. Analysis, does the paragraph explain logically how the evidence presented supports the claims made?
4. Proofreading, the paragraph should be free of grammatical errors and misspellings.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Unit 5 Exam SP 2013 GPT Learning Community



  1. How does the Buffalo Soldier connect the New South to Chief Joseph and the Nez Pierce?
  2. How does the 14th Amendment connect the New South with present-day debates about immigration and citizenship.
Choose one, and bring it with you Thursday. (3-5 paragraphs).

Use as many keywords from your notes as you can.

Quizzes Will Close When the Unit Ends

  • I remember now why I stopped having quizzes end on individualized dates, along with the reading schedule. A multitude of problems seem to arise whenever I try to do it that way. From now on, I am going back to having quizzes end when the unit ends. You should still keep up with the reading schedule, because it is the best way to learn the material and get the most out of your class time.
  • The Chapter 22 quiz has been reset to end on exam day.
  • Today, we will relate the 14th Amendment from the New South to present-day debates about immigration and citizenship.