Find chapter outlines, etc. at
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/america7/
Hat-tip to Tamera :)
Update: Some of these tools suggest that you email me stuff. Don't do that. Only email me when you want to "talk" about something.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
What is a Paragraph?
I know that you folks know what a paragraph is. However, you still need to know what are my expectations of your discussion posts. Below, I clearly lay out these expectations along with the rubric under which your work will be evaluated. I look forward to reading your posts.
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, film, or document to support your claim. They should convince me that what you say is supported by the assigned sources. Be sure to use at least one keyword (evidence) from each of the assigned sources. Then completely identify that keyword in terms of "Who, What, When, Where, and So What? (how is that keyword related to the historical problem we are discussing?" The concluding sentence should answer the question, “So what?” How has this paragraph responded to the historical problem we are discussing? 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. Structure/organization, does the paragraph function as a unit of thought (does it have a topic sentence that states a claim, which is then supported by a body of evidence that is carefully explained and then brought together in a conclusion sentence)?
2. Evidence, does the paragraph draw specific references from all the assigned sources 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 (are all the keywords fully identified?
4. Proofreading, the paragraph should be free of grammatical errors and misspellings.
A paragraph that meets all the above criteria will receive an A (95); a paragraph that meets three of these criteria will receive a B (85); a paragraph that meets two of these criteria will receive a C (75); a paragraph that meets one of these criteria will receive a D (65); a paragraph that meets none of these criteria will receive an F. Good luck, and have fun.
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, film, or document to support your claim. They should convince me that what you say is supported by the assigned sources. Be sure to use at least one keyword (evidence) from each of the assigned sources. Then completely identify that keyword in terms of "Who, What, When, Where, and So What? (how is that keyword related to the historical problem we are discussing?" The concluding sentence should answer the question, “So what?” How has this paragraph responded to the historical problem we are discussing? 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. Structure/organization, does the paragraph function as a unit of thought (does it have a topic sentence that states a claim, which is then supported by a body of evidence that is carefully explained and then brought together in a conclusion sentence)?
2. Evidence, does the paragraph draw specific references from all the assigned sources 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 (are all the keywords fully identified?
4. Proofreading, the paragraph should be free of grammatical errors and misspellings.
A paragraph that meets all the above criteria will receive an A (95); a paragraph that meets three of these criteria will receive a B (85); a paragraph that meets two of these criteria will receive a C (75); a paragraph that meets one of these criteria will receive a D (65); a paragraph that meets none of these criteria will receive an F. Good luck, and have fun.
Writing assignment/discussion post
Thanks to everyone who has brought up stuff in the comments. I think I need to clarify a few things about the writing assignment/discussion post.
First, I refer to this as a "writing assignment" because I want everyone to treat this as a formal writing assignment wherein the rules of grammar, structure and style apply. However, the format is a discussion post, meaning that you post your paragraph in a discussion forum.
Here's how you do it:
First, I refer to this as a "writing assignment" because I want everyone to treat this as a formal writing assignment wherein the rules of grammar, structure and style apply. However, the format is a discussion post, meaning that you post your paragraph in a discussion forum.
Here's how you do it:
- Go to the John Chavez, "The Lost Land" learning module.
- In the table of contents (links on the left side of the window) click the one that says, "Lost Land discussion"
- That will open a window that gives the instructions, along with the four questions I have suggested as prompts for writing. Only respond to one question.
- Compose your response in a word processing program. Print it. Proofread it (preferably by reading aloud). Make your corrections.
- Copy your work and paste it into the window that opens when you click "create message."
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Office hours
I thought it might be useful for you guys to know when you can expect me to respond to your emails.
Let's start with Monday through Thursday. On those days, I'm in class, or otherwise occupied, all morning; and I don't get to my emails until afternoon. I try to have them read and answered by 3 PM. I will log on again around 8:00 PM.
On Fridays, I log on in the mid-to-late morning, and I will probably not log back on until Saturday.
I have scheduled most deadlines for midnight Saturday night, and I try to make myself available off and on throughout the day to deal with problems that might arise as students try to meet this deadline. Saturdays nights, though, I like to party with my friends; so don't expect me to get your late-night emails until Monday afternoon.
I take Sundays off. I won't get your Sunday emails until Monday afternoon.
I hope this helps. dld
Let's start with Monday through Thursday. On those days, I'm in class, or otherwise occupied, all morning; and I don't get to my emails until afternoon. I try to have them read and answered by 3 PM. I will log on again around 8:00 PM.
On Fridays, I log on in the mid-to-late morning, and I will probably not log back on until Saturday.
I have scheduled most deadlines for midnight Saturday night, and I try to make myself available off and on throughout the day to deal with problems that might arise as students try to meet this deadline. Saturdays nights, though, I like to party with my friends; so don't expect me to get your late-night emails until Monday afternoon.
I take Sundays off. I won't get your Sunday emails until Monday afternoon.
I hope this helps. dld
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Quiz Randomizer
A student has informed me that the quiz questions are still being randomized, even though I have turned off the randomizer. I will address this with the help desk on Monday. dld
Update: It's Tuesday, and I haven't yet managed to address the randomizer issue. Now, I'm hoping to get to it before the weekend.
Update: It's Tuesday, and I haven't yet managed to address the randomizer issue. Now, I'm hoping to get to it before the weekend.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Extra credit!
Get one point added to your final average. This is the equivalent of a letter grade on an exam or discussion paragraph!
To get the credit, attend Rhonda Ragsdale's "Resistance: African American Style" at the teaching theater (A126, downstairs in the Academic Building) at LSC-North Harris. The presentation will take place at noon, Wednesday, February 18.
Free Pizza!
Update: There will be a sign-out sheet.
To get the credit, attend Rhonda Ragsdale's "Resistance: African American Style" at the teaching theater (A126, downstairs in the Academic Building) at LSC-North Harris. The presentation will take place at noon, Wednesday, February 18.
Free Pizza!
Update: There will be a sign-out sheet.
Textbook or Lectures--what do I study!?
Quite a few students have expressed some confusion about what they should be paying attention to, the textbook or the lectures? This is understandable, and I would like to try to explain my method here.
The textbook presents what I call the conventional narrative. This is the story that most scholars agree on as, more or less, the American story. It contains much of the stuff you will be expected to know about U.S. history as you move forward through your college education. Further, it provides much of the background or context for the material I present. Consider the exploration of U.S. history like a long walk. The textbook provides a nice, well groomed path that one can easily follow.
I present a somewhat different narrative. It is the story I have put together over years of study, research and teaching. I have described it as a reflection on the problems of freedom, slavery and empire. I tend to think of the classroom as a long conversation about these problems. If we continue with the metaphor of a path, this one is less travelled, wilder and meandering. The two paths—the textbook and the classroom—sometimes merge, sometimes part company and sometimes cross each other. Both paths are important. Both stories matter. But what do you study?
How to use the textbook for study: The chapter quizzes are intended to guide you through the textbook. Think of the quiz as a tour guide leading you along the conventional narrative path. Sometimes the chapter quizzes reinforce the classroom presentations, sometimes they don’t. What they do accomplish is to familiarize you with the textbook material. See my post on chapter quiz strategies. Once you have taken a chapter quiz, you are finished with that part of the textbook. Don’t study the quizzes or the chapters beyond that.
How to study the lectures: Each classroom presentation comes with a student outline published on eCollege. These outlines are intended to guide you in your note-taking by pointing out important terms and concepts and showing how they fit together in outline form. When you study for an exam, you will use your own notes that you have taken in class. Taking notes is part of the learning process. When you take notes, you actually inscribe this knowledge onto your brain. You might think you are going to forget it but it will always be there, waiting to be recalled.
How to study for an exam: Each unit comes with an exam and an accompanying study guide. The study guide lists the terms and concepts I think are important. The exam will be 25 multiple-choice questions that involve identifying a term or concept. Every term or concept on the exam is listed in this study guide. Therefore, when it is time to study for the exam, you will begin with the study guide. Go through each term and concept, and make sure you can identify them. In trying to identify these terms, first begin with your notes. The outlines will tell you where in your notes any particular term should be. If you don’t see the term in your notes, then go to the textbook. Try looking it up in the index. In any case, you should know basically where it is in the textbook (remember, some of this stuff is in the textbook, and some of it is not) because of the chapter quizzes. If you can’t find a term in either your notes or the textbook, it is time to call your study buddy. If you don’t yet have a study buddy, it’s time to get one. Two of my classes have Supplemental Instructors (SI) to lead study groups. Check it out; study groups are fun!
Achieving your academic goals: Now you have to tools you need to achieve your goals but how do you match them up? It depends on what your goals are. If your goal is to make an A, you will need to gain mastery over the material. That means you can identify all the terms and concepts on the study guide when prompted. If your goal is a B, you will want to go over all the terms and make sure you have the material to identify them. You will spend some time reviewing this material but you might not be able to answer some of the terms when prompted. If your goal is a C, you will want to go over all the terms in the study guide and make sure you have the material to identify them. Then you might want to review the study guide the night before the exam, along with your notes and the textbook just to “nail it into place.”
It is my intention that these study skills will serve you throughout your college education and beyond. Good luck!
The textbook presents what I call the conventional narrative. This is the story that most scholars agree on as, more or less, the American story. It contains much of the stuff you will be expected to know about U.S. history as you move forward through your college education. Further, it provides much of the background or context for the material I present. Consider the exploration of U.S. history like a long walk. The textbook provides a nice, well groomed path that one can easily follow.
I present a somewhat different narrative. It is the story I have put together over years of study, research and teaching. I have described it as a reflection on the problems of freedom, slavery and empire. I tend to think of the classroom as a long conversation about these problems. If we continue with the metaphor of a path, this one is less travelled, wilder and meandering. The two paths—the textbook and the classroom—sometimes merge, sometimes part company and sometimes cross each other. Both paths are important. Both stories matter. But what do you study?
How to use the textbook for study: The chapter quizzes are intended to guide you through the textbook. Think of the quiz as a tour guide leading you along the conventional narrative path. Sometimes the chapter quizzes reinforce the classroom presentations, sometimes they don’t. What they do accomplish is to familiarize you with the textbook material. See my post on chapter quiz strategies. Once you have taken a chapter quiz, you are finished with that part of the textbook. Don’t study the quizzes or the chapters beyond that.
How to study the lectures: Each classroom presentation comes with a student outline published on eCollege. These outlines are intended to guide you in your note-taking by pointing out important terms and concepts and showing how they fit together in outline form. When you study for an exam, you will use your own notes that you have taken in class. Taking notes is part of the learning process. When you take notes, you actually inscribe this knowledge onto your brain. You might think you are going to forget it but it will always be there, waiting to be recalled.
How to study for an exam: Each unit comes with an exam and an accompanying study guide. The study guide lists the terms and concepts I think are important. The exam will be 25 multiple-choice questions that involve identifying a term or concept. Every term or concept on the exam is listed in this study guide. Therefore, when it is time to study for the exam, you will begin with the study guide. Go through each term and concept, and make sure you can identify them. In trying to identify these terms, first begin with your notes. The outlines will tell you where in your notes any particular term should be. If you don’t see the term in your notes, then go to the textbook. Try looking it up in the index. In any case, you should know basically where it is in the textbook (remember, some of this stuff is in the textbook, and some of it is not) because of the chapter quizzes. If you can’t find a term in either your notes or the textbook, it is time to call your study buddy. If you don’t yet have a study buddy, it’s time to get one. Two of my classes have Supplemental Instructors (SI) to lead study groups. Check it out; study groups are fun!
Achieving your academic goals: Now you have to tools you need to achieve your goals but how do you match them up? It depends on what your goals are. If your goal is to make an A, you will need to gain mastery over the material. That means you can identify all the terms and concepts on the study guide when prompted. If your goal is a B, you will want to go over all the terms and make sure you have the material to identify them. You will spend some time reviewing this material but you might not be able to answer some of the terms when prompted. If your goal is a C, you will want to go over all the terms in the study guide and make sure you have the material to identify them. Then you might want to review the study guide the night before the exam, along with your notes and the textbook just to “nail it into place.”
It is my intention that these study skills will serve you throughout your college education and beyond. Good luck!
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