Cathy Birkenstein: "They Say / I Say": The Moves that Matter in Persuasive Writing
Greg Mortenson: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
Muhammad Yunus: Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism
Van Jones: The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems
I'm going to retype several "A" level tests from previous classes for you to study as "models" of pretty good student writing. Note that most of these essays received less than a perfect score -- some were A-minus, not A. Check out Top Ten Tips for more ideas about "Taking In-Class Tests" effectively!
Here are several typical "A" answers for the second reading test. Remember they are just samples -- there is no one "right" answer. Instead, see if you can identify the features of the writing which would (in a college professor's eyes) help earn each essay an "A."
Sample reading tests from a variety of quarters, including questions on Catfish and Mandala, Doing Nothing, and Three Cups of Tea.
Students who received an "A" or "A-" on Essay #1 voluntarily posted their essays here. Remember that underlining and italics often disappear in your on-screen version, so that some of the MLA citations and title-punctuation will appear to be incorrect. Click "continue reading" to see the samples. Or click "comments" to contribute your own A-level essay to this online Hall of Fame!
Here are some excellent student research papers to use as models for your own Flat World essays. To view them all, click on both the "comments" and the "continue reading" links below. There's also a "generic" sample research essay about cellphones which I copied from the internet -- to show what a research paper looks like in most U.S. universities.
Here are some "Grade-A" Earth Odyssey essays voluntarily submitted to my online Hall of Fame by English 1A students. Click on the "continue reading" button to see them...or click on the comments button to make your own contribution to our online Hall of Fame. I've tried to "pair" them so you can see the various possible approaches to similar subjects -- including air pollution in Cairo vs. Hong Kong; two views of why Hertsgaard's chapter "The Irresistible Automobile" got it wrong; and two different updates on the survival of the Giant Redwoods here in Northern California.
Here are several sample self-evaluations submitted by Foothill E1A students. Reading through them quickly might help you understand what a powerful learning tool self-evaluations can really be. Notice, too, that a well-written self-evaluation is also fun to read! Click on "continue reading" to get started.
Here's the question from Spring 2009 on The Green Collar Economy: According
to Jones, what is “eco-apartheid”? What does it have to do with both the
past and the (potential) future of the environmental movement?
Here's a recent Van Jones interview on the "Reverence Movement" -- you could even use this as the basis of an essay #2: What are the core principles of the reverence movement? How could you apply them to your own life?
Meanwhile here are links to some of the best short YouTube Videos in which Van Jones is featured.
Van Jones on Eco-Equity (2:46)
Van Jones at NetRoots Nation (5:25)
Van Jones on the Tavis Smiley Show (9:47)
Van Jones Senate Testimony (5:34)
This sample was pulled off the internet, so the topic (cellphones) has nothing to do with our class. Nor was the paper written for a class at Foothill College. But notice that the format is exactly what we have been studying together in English 1A -- including the structure of the MLA Works Cited and In-text citations.
Download sample_mla_research_paper_on_cellphones.pdf
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Dr. Scott's brainstorming question of the day: what type of Green Collar Job do you plan to focus on in your essay? What educational plan will you need to follow to prepare yourself for this career? How does this job connect to issues and examples in Van Jones The Green Collar Economy?
In other words, "What's Your Thesis???"
This is a twenty-minute-long talk by MacArthur Genius Grant award-winner Majora Carter. Yes that's kinda long but oh-so-worth-it. So emotional. Great quotes for your essay here too: everything from green roofs to the Katrina connection.
Joel Makower has a new book out titled Strategies for the New Economy
He'll be giving a free talk, open to the public, on June 4 -- see you there?
> Friends & Colleagues:
>
> On Thursday June 4, you’re invited to an evening lecture and
> networking event at the Harvard Club of San Francisco with bestselling
> author Joel Makower.
Continue reading "New Book and SF Lecture on Green Collar Economy" »
Here's the transcript of a Blackberry conversation between me and an English 1A student who complains that there's "no research" available for his dream green career. It ends with the discovery of literally millions of sources.
Remember that you'll need to read this transcript "backwards" by scrolling to the bottom of the file and then reading back "up" through the original chain of email messages.
The "key" lesson here is that finding the just the right "keywords" spells the difference between "no sources" and "millions."
HINT HINT HINT: this research trick could work wonders for your essay too! That's the whole reason I"m posting this conversation online!
Continue reading "Rocket-Powered Research for Green Collar Jobs Online" »
Here's an article from a recent Time magazine issue that would work perfectly for the Green Jobs essay.
"Can Community Colleges Save the U.S. Economy?"
Post your comments or suggestions about and constructive alternatives to the dreaded 5-minute in-class quizzes. By definition, any proposed solution must 1) reward those who arrive on time and mildly penalize late-comers; and 2) reward those who have carefully completed the assigned reading that day, while mildly penalizing those who have merely skimmed the text or perhaps not read at all.
I'll kick things off by posting my impressions. Now entering the brainstorm zone! Suggestions? Criticisms? Comments? BTW no extra credit will be awarded for participating (and there's absolutely no penalty or obligation if you don't).
