English 110 Duel-Credit Orientation Lecture by Anthony Priest Illustrations by Antonina Kravchenko
Jun 20, 2015
English 110Duel-Credit Orientation
Lecture
by
Anthony Priest
Illustrations by
Antonina Kravchenko
…and before I knew it… …shards of electricity… …transformed me.
One day while I was preparing a lecture, a passing storm shot a bolt of electricity into my laptop…
Of yeah…if you have questions about anything in this lecture, be sure to email me: [email protected].
Hello!I’m Anthony Priest, chair of the English department at Missouri
State University in West Plains and your host for this informative dual-
credit lecture. I’d like to cover some important points
about the basic requirements of the English 110 course and then provide tips
for teaching the course effectively.
The catalog description of English 110 says students will
learn…“Critical reading and
writing skills applicable within and beyond the
college community. Emphasis on composition processes, argumentation
of diverse issues, and collaborative learning, such as peer review."
To that, I say, “Peanut Butter and Jelly
Sandwiches!”
What in the world do I mean by Peanut Butter and Jelly
Sandwiches? Well, when someone offers you a delicious PB&J, you may visualize the
sandwich and anticipate the overall flavor of the combined ingredients.
You don’t just think about the peanut butter, the jelly or the bread all by itself.
This isn’t nuclear science, but bear
with me…
the jelly …
…and bread.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches consist of…
Peanut Butter…
Jelly…
Ummm…that’s three things.
In the same way a PB & J consists of three ingredients, English 110 consists of three main
components:
Argumentation
Composition
Diversification
the jelly …
…and the bread.
Ummm…that’s three things.
Students will learn to use the language and skills necessary to participate in classical argument. To do this, they will study the patterns and purposes of argument and apply them to their reading, writing, and discussions throughout the semester. The skills gained from this study will be especially useful and meaningful to them throughout their education and life experiences.
Students will learn thecomposition process—howto express an idea clearly and convincingly through the written word—by readingabout and practicing the art of argumentative essay writing. They will study the components of writing such as purpose, audience and qualities of good writing, as well as organizing, writing, and revising. In addition, they will study research and documentation.
I break my course into six diverse topics. This means
students spend two to three weeks on each—viewing
lectures, reading texts, taking quizzes, discussing, and writing essays about each one of the
diverse issues.
As an example, during week one, my students begin to study the form and history of argument. I provide them with a number of readings about argumentation (we’ll call this the peanut butter). They will also begin a seriesof readings and lectures on the composition process (we’ll call this the jelly). The focus of our discussions and essay assignment will deal with a diverse topic…Pollution of Natural Resources (we’ll call this the bread).
1 2 3
It is important that you understand the way this course is structured. While we focus on three distinct areas (ingredients), these areas will be combined to form an overall body of knowledge (sandwich).
If you are a person who doesn’t like PB & J, try to
envision the course as a BLT or perhaps a chocolate sundae with candy sprinkles. Either
way, make it your goal to serve up the semester as meal that will satisfy your students!
…all of ourcourses are
identical. We all use the same…
Handbook
Textbook
Course Goals
Whether you are teaching this
course in Howell County…
Oregon County…
Or any other county in our service area…
I will provide you with a sample syllabus, a
sample lecture, and a sample assignment.
In addition to this lecture, you will receive a link to
Additional Resources.
I want to shed some light on other basic requirements for
this course.
A minimum of
6 essays are
required.
At least one documented
research paper is required.Reading quizzes and a final exam are required.
You are free to select readings from the text, create your own lectures, quizzes, and essay assignments,
but…Be sure to check for the
basic requirements described in this
lecture.
Want students to argue
for social revolution? Fine…just be sure the
assignment is tied to lessons/readings from the text.
Should felons vote?
Want students to write twelve argument essays instead of six? No
problem. They will have met the minimum requirement of six.
I thought I’d share some examples of
what I do with the writing
assignments…
…..Gaps in dealing with immigrants.....Hurricane in
abc
Headlines from around the world….Politics…Sports…Entertainment…Education…Technology…Finance
In today’s news, the Boy Scouts of America local chapter
8 P.M. – 79 degrees . Tomorrow: High 78 degrees – Low 54
Essay Two: Argue the effects of
media on culture.
LIVE
Essay Three:
Strategies for developing
effective arguments
Fourth essay…students write a
rhetorical analysis of a well-known argument.
Essay five is an evaluation argument challenging a popular position on the quality of a product or service that students know or use.
Essay six:
The Ethical Argument
For their first argument, I challenge students to convince floaters on our
Ozarks rivers that pollution of waterways is detrimental.
3-D…HD…
YES!
In order for students to receive dual credit, they must meet the requirements
established by the university.
Here’s the point.Purpose: Students will
demonstrate a clearly defined
purpose in their writing.
Audience: Students will
identify and write to diverse audiences.
Process: Students will learn that writing is a process of generating, rewriting, editing, and proofreading. Research &
Documentation: Students
will demonstrate
appropriate ethical methods
of research through
selection, evaluation, and
documentation of sources.
Correctness: Students will learn to control surface features such as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
I hope this orientation has been
helpful. You may have additional questions,
comments andconcerns, so…
Remember: If you have any questions regarding the information in this lecture, I am only an email away. Feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to respond quickly. My address is [email protected].
Thank you for partnering with Missouri State University and the English department to offer quality educational opportunities to the students we serve!
FINAL NOTE