PORTFOLIOS NEW DEADLINE

Dear all,

I've decided to put off the due date of the portfolio:

I ideally should match the date with a working day, in which you can come and drop your portfolio in my office, in clase you have decided to burn a CD. That way all of you have the same chances.

New deadline: Thursday 9th, at 5:30 in the afternoon. I will be in my office receiving the portfolios from 4:30, onwards.

I hope this aditional time may serve you well.

Best regards to everybody,

Video tutorial e-portfolios (in Spanish)

This is one of the things that I am going to explain on Wednesday morning at 10:30, in lab LC-4.

Portfolio rubric

Hi all,

Here I have the rubric that I will use to evaluate your portfolios. Take a look at it so make sure you have everything. Best regards,

Your teacher.

right click "save as"
RUBRIC

or here you haveit in JPG format

End of Term Information

Dear all,

Thanks for being patient. Here you have the required information:

Parallel A: No class on Monday; Parallel B: No compulsory class on Wednesday.
Everybody is invited to this Wednesday's class in Lab LC-7 at 10:30. It's not obligatory. Read some lines below for details.

1- First Exam solution: An assignment.

As all of you know, we're going to fill in the space corresponding to the first exam with the grade of an assignment that you're going to write. Here are the instructions:

Write a 100-word narrative paragraph about your first day of class as a university student. I need it to come with two drafts and its prewriting.
- Prewriting (it can be brainstorming, outlining, freewriting, journalists questions, clustering, etc.) It can be handwritten of typed.
- First draft (to organize the ideas, the topic sentence, the supportive sentences and the concluding one) typed.
- Second draft (to check everything related to grammar, spelling and punctuation) typed.
- Final work. Typed.
Due date: Monday 6th of December, 23:58.

2- Portfolio: Due date: Wednesday 8th of December, 23:58.

As explained in class, you'll have to create an e-portfolio. The idea of the portfolio is that you present evidence, through the works of them term, that you have learned about the writing process and improve your writing skills (grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, etc.) It's a selection of the texts you have written; you don't have to include everything you have written in the subject. The contents your portfolio should have are:

- Brief Introduction
- Two different prewriting activities, with their corresponding reflections.
- One random paragraph from the first part of the term, with its reflection.
- One explanatory paragraph, with its reflection.
- One journal entry, with its reflection.
- One descriptive paragraph, with its draft and its reflection.
- One general reflection, as a conclusion.

Due date: Wednesday 8th of December, 23:58.
I am going to add some videos here. Next post.


Related information:
I am going to be in LAB LC-1 at 10:30 this Wednesday 1st of December, making up a class. It's not compulsory to go. I am going to explain how to use winrar to compress, how to create the hyperlinks with Power Point, and I'll clarify any doubts that may be (I'll give feedback about texts, too). Later, at 12:00 (or earlier, depending how thew activity goes) I'll be handing back your previous texts and drafts that are pending, so you can include them in your portfolios, if you don't have copies of them.

3- Last Exam Contents:
- Weekly readings: Charles Chaplin, How the Paper fish Learned to Swim, Martin Luther King, the articles about heroes (the little boy).
- Writing paragraphs (topic sentence, support, and conclusion)
- Kinds of paragraphs (explanatory, and descriptive, mainly)
- The writing process

Some details about the exam: The exam will consist of three parts: I - You'll be asked to write sentences with vocabulary words from the texts you read (for example "fins," from the paper fish that learned to swim ); II - You'll be asked questions about the texts we read; finally III - You'll be asked to write a paragraph about a topic (surprise)

4- The last paragraphs, about your favourite month and the one about your hero, are due this Friday 3rd. I need them to come WITH their corresponding drafts and prewriting. (BUT, If, by any reason, I still have your draft, write a note at the end of the paragraph, explaining that you have already handed in your draft)

Well, guys, I think I've covered all the topics pending.
Please, feel free to comment and ask questions.

Thanks for a nice semester!

Juan Chamorro A.
Reading and Composition Class.

Last week of classes

Dear all,

we are comming to the end of the term and I would like to thank you all for being so nice and sharing your "pieces of life" with me, in your paragraphs. This term that I've met you has been very interesting and we're going to continue our work next year, with your blogs, for instance. Now I am going to give you the last instructions for the assigments that are pending:

1- Weekly readings: We had the evaluation of "How the Paper Fish Learned to Swim" with parallel A, and we're having it with B this Wednesday. On Friday we will have the weekly reading evaluation "Martin Luther King." It's in Cigeno copy centre and in this link: "Martin Luther King-.pdf" (right click "save as...")

2- Paragraph about a hero: Parallel A needs to have the 1st draft ready this Friday, show it to me, wait for feedback and bring it ready next week (on the day of the exam). Parallel B, bring it ready on the day of the exam too. If you haven't shown it yet, Friday is your last chance.

3- Descriptive paragraph: Develop a 100-word paragraph about the topic "My favourite Month." Bring the first draft this Friday, so I give you feedback and you can write the final version of it.

I am giving you the contents of the exam this Friday 26th; the exam is on Friday 3rd of December.

Best Regards and Good luck to everybody,

Juan C. A.

PS: We have a make up class pending. As talked with parallel A, I'll come to a sort of feedback session, to which you'll come to pick up you assignments along with some feedback. I'll give details about day and time on Friday.

Weekly Reading for Friday 19th

How the Paper Fish Learned To Swim.pdf (right click "save as")
It will soon be in the copy centre. Read only up to page 50.

"Please, don't complain before seeing how much text there is in each page."

I hope you enjoy it.

Hi folks! And we started November...

Hi folks!

I hope you're doing okay with your other academic compromises. This is a sort of memory helper so you can get the best of this week:

We are (finally) having the extensive reading exam about "The God Father." I am planing to watch part of it in class (maybe the part I didn't evaluate as a weekly reading).

Good luck with it!

JCA

Assignment 1: The Process of Writing

Hi there,

This activity is for parallel B: I will give it to parallel A this Friday.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FIRST 4 CHAPTERS OF THE GOD FATHER; WE WILL HAVE THE WEEKLY READING EVALUATION.

Here is what I need you to do: Writing assignment_the writing process.ppt Make sure you show the drafts with the corrections/anotations you made (I don't need the drafts to be perfectly clean; the final paragraph, yes.)

This website contains explanations of pagrapgraph writing, topic sentences and others: http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/paragrap/index.htm


This is the ppt seen in class: planning and shaping.ppt

Writing Paragraphs

Hello there!

And we have a new week of writing and reading. Our next topic is "writing paragraphs." What is a paragraph? How do you write one? How can I write a good paragraph? Well, if you want to learn more, don't miss classes and make sure you copy the handouts. (Yes, we are resting a little bit from punctuation)

We will be working with these two handouts:

- Writing paragraphs and topic sentences. (For projection in class, and reference. DON'T PRINT IT FOR CLASS, WE WILL NOT USE IT) (Version seen in class)

- Who is a hero. (Who_is_a_hero.PPT - Who_is_a_hero.PDF)It comes with reading and comprehension, as well as writing activities. (PRINT THIS ONE OR TAKE PHOTOCOPIES AT CIGENO, Manuel Plaza.)

Ah, and I almost forgot. About the extensive reading "The Godfather." We are having oral evaluation if the first four chapters this Friday (29), and we exam on Friday 5th of November.

Journal Entry: It really happened, guys, believe me.

It was so nice to discover it! I would never forget how it feels and I hope to be able to do it again, at least once. No guys, don't take me wrong. I'm not talking about drugs or anything like that; I mean I could really fly! It happened some time ago, months maybe, but it feels as it was yesterday. You need to take some precautions, though. Don't take of in an area with too many cables or poles because once you are suspended in the air, it's more difficult to control your movements. Second, specially when you begin, try to leave enough space to run and take off; you don't want to bump into something or hit your knees or feet with something. Third, enjoy it! Try flying high (be careful with the velocity when you fly vertically; it can be really scary!), low, fast and slow. Enjoy while you can because the fun will end... when you wake up.

Creating your blog for asignments

Hi all,

During this week we will start with your journals, and for that I'll need you to start a blog each of you. There I'll be able to read your journal entries and academic writing assignments. Don't miss Friday's class; I'll bring the laptops for everybody to work in class.



JCA

PS: I found this website which is very reliable on punctuation. http://www.grammarbook.com/default.asp

Try to do the exercises:
http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/commas_1.asp
http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/semicolons_and_colons_1.asp
http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/question_marks_1.asp

Colons and Semi-colons

Hi,

this is the material we covered in class. We talked about colons and semi-colons, mainly.
This is the link to the homework exercise: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_44.htm#semicex











And here you have the extensive reading "The Godfather." The exam will be on the 22nd of October, so you have time to start reading. We might be able to see parts of this film in class, and assess part of this as a weekly reading. It's here and in the photocopy centre (CIGENO, Manuel Plaza st.).

The Godfather (right click "save as")

Best regards,

JCA

Punctuation

Hi all,

this is the PPT we saw in class and some exercises for you to practice.
punctuation.ppt

Some explanations:

Using commas (OWL website): http://gongwai.xaufe.edu.cn/englishonline/zhxl/xzmj/owl_purdue/g_comma.html

Punctuation Mistakes

The comma splice: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_07.htm#commsplice


Exercises:
Commas exercise: http://db.tt/geaXLsW

Commas, colons, and stops: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_55.htm

Varios exercises of all kinds: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_41.htm

PPT's, links and exam contents

These are the PPTs we have seen in class.

Subject and verb agreeement:

http://www.eslbee.com/SV_agreement.pdf
The same as the previous one: http://eslbee.com/cgi-bin/quiztest.cgi?sv_agreement
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/sentencebasics/verbsubjectagreement/factsheet1.shtml

Appositives: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/986051/LyC2/conquering%20comma%20%28clauses%29.PPT

EXAM CONTENTS:

• Weekly readings (vocabulary and comprehension)

- Magazine articles:
- St. Patrick's day (I Love English Magazine, march 2005)
- "News USA," (environment related, Magazine "Today I love English")
- Natalie Portman and other celebrities (Magazine "Today I love English")
- Dead or Alive (short story, here and in "Cigeno" copy centre)
- The Flying Doctor Service. (Handout given in class. Soon here, too.)

• Subject-verb agreement.
• Quotation marks.
  
• Basic punctuation. (in the paragraph that you write)

Weekly Reading 3

Hello,

this is the weekly reading that you're going to read now. I hope you like it.

Charles Chaplin right button click and choose "save link as" (click con botón derecho y elegir "guardar enlace como").

jpeg format coming soon.


If you don't want to waste paper and ink, read it from the original. This is a magazine that is available in hemeroteca, second floor. It is called "I love English" and the edition is: July-August-September 2004.

The material in hemeroteca (like the dictionaries, for instance) is to be read there. You can't take it home.

I hope you enjoy it.

Links about subject-verb agreement

http://eslbee.com/cgi-bin/quiztest.cgi?sv_agreement
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm

Dead or Alive

Choose right click to "save file as", or left click to open on Internet browser:

Have a happy reading,

JCA

1: http://db.tt/r1HwoF7
2: http://db.tt/SiBzLnj
3: http://db.tt/S0Y53C0
4: http://db.tt/wdFvN0m
5: http://db.tt/g0FEoLn
6: http://db.tt/DGXuRSj
7: http://db.tt/HQz9IFk

First weekly Reading

Hi all,

Here you have the first weekly readings.
If you want them in other formats (word, ppt, printer friendly, etc.), please request it in a message or by e-mail.

Best Regards,

JCA












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