The Young in Debt

Think this is debt, this is slavery, this is not success ...

Videos watched during our last class :( I will miss you all

Russel Brand and Eve Ensler give us solutions to think about

How are jobs of the future changing? Click the link and watch the video to get some information.

http://on.ted.com/AMcAfee

Final Essay

Just like every other essay in this class, you are developing an argument in this one. In this essay, you will express your opinion on one of the following topics:

§  Poverty Stereotypes and how they keep us down

§  Student Loans and how they keep us down

§  Loss of Jobs and the current Living Wage and how those factors keeps us down

See a pattern? These are three reasons we are no longer able to achieve financial success in America. I want you to focus on one of these issues and suggest a solution to the problem. This essay isn't a test of how many ideas you can come up with because you have already proven that. This essay will focus on how clear you can express the few arguments you have, if you can apply PIE structure correctly and if you can make it all flow.

You will need to have a complete introduction with an attention grabber, statement of support and thesis.  You will have three body paragraphs. Each paragraph will start with a “right-sized” topic sentence and they will all be perfect examples of PIE structure. Your essay is expected to have smooth transitions between paragraphs. You will end your essay with a conclusion and your conclusion will have a cliffhanger (a statement that makes your reader think) at the end.

Your essay will also include 2 quotes from the book The Rich and the Rest of Us. You may also quote any of the other sources used in class, article, videos, etc.

Don’t forget what you have learned about the power of description, metaphor and simile. These different elements can make your essay more dynamic. Be sure to proofread your essay.

Your essay will be 3 pages, typed, in MLA format and posted to your blog by December 22^nd, 11:59 pm. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED. 

Final Essay Outline Template

Introduction:

Attention grabber­­­­­­­­­___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Research you want to use______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Working thesis statement_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph 1:

Topic Sentences_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Illustration ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph 2:

Topic Sentences_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Illustration ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph 3 (Solution):

Topic Sentences_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Illustration ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion:

Cliffhanger_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

College Debt and The Value of a College Degree: Read Assignment Instructions Carefully

• Please watch the video below by our next class meeting. (Please see finals schedule post for time and day)
• Write a one page reflection by answering this: What information presented in this video most worries you about your college career (being a college student is a full-time job) and what do you think is most unfair? 
• Bring your writing to class so we can discuss it.

This video is bleak, dramatic and extremely bias but shares really great information. As critical thinkers and active citizens you want to analyze and test all information given to you. The video does stress two of the main points I want you to recognize; college debt is very bad; and if we continue to allow college costs to increase, we can no longer claim going to college will promise a better financial future. We will talk on the final class day about what I really want you to focus on and how you can make the best of your college experience and how to make better plans for after college.

Thank you, Lucas for sharing this video with me and now us!

Final Schedule

Please note the different start and end times. We will be meeting in the same class.

7:30 Class—Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 7:30 am – 9:20 am

9:00 Class—Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at 8:00 am – 9:50 am

1:30 Class—Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at 12:00 pm – 1:50

Student Loans Article Link

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/11/15/occupy-protests-focusing-increasingly-student-debt

The High Price of Militarism-Please Read by Thursday, Dec 5

The Rich and the Rest of Us: Argumentative Essay #1

Your next essay will be an argumentative essay; meaning your focus should express an opinion about the topic you choose and the essay should work towards proving your opinion. You will not get a passing grade on this paper if your paragraphs are not in PIE form. You will also be in danger of not receiving a passing grade on this paper if your paragraphs ramble and consist of more than one topic. This paper will have an introduction and conclusion. This essay will be 4 pages, BRNDJTM.

You will not be using any outside resources for this paper. The only illustrations you may use must be from the book, The Rich and The Rest of us, and the documentaries we watched in class Park Avenue and “9 Out Of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact.” You will need a minimum of 3 quotes from the book. You will not be able to use personal experience or story as your illustrations.

Another twist, we are going to practice metaphor and simile. These two writing tools allow you to insert small bits of description into your essays as well as force you, the writer, to dig deeper into what you are trying to express. You will need to include 1 metaphor and 1 simile somewhere in your essay.

The topics you have to choose from are the following:

·       The Extremely Wealthy—the beliefs of the 1%

·       The Growth of the Poverty Class—Extinction of the Middle Class

You must have “right-sized” topic sentences at the start of each paragraph. Remember, to rule of three your topics and assess if your topic sentences are too general, have multiple ideas mashed together or are “too big” (which is usually a combination of both the problems listed before). To get a “right-sized” topic sentence make sure your topic states specifically who or what you are talking about and why it is important.

Your essay must be in MLA format, typed, double-spaced, and include a works cited page. Be sure to get the MLA format right because I will deduct points if it is incorrect. Look on purdueowl.com if you need assistance.

List of what I will be looking for:

*      If the opinion stated in your thesis, at the end of your introduction, is supported by your paper

*      If your paragraphs are in PIE form

*      If you went into critical analysis and/or metacognition after your Illustrations

*      If your topic sentences are right-sized

*      1 metaphor

*      1 simile

*      3 quotes from the book

*      MLA format

*      4 pages

A complete, 4-page, final draft will be due on Tuesday, Dec. 3. You must bring two printed copies to class. If you do not bring a final draft on Dec 3, your final essay grade will be knocked down two letter grades.

The final essay is due on Thursday, Dec. 5.

In Class Video. November 21, 2013

Homework Due on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013

Homework:

Read: 95-116 (up to chapter 5 for those of your using ebooks)

Writing Assignment:

Take the following topics and rule of three each of them:

·     The Extremely Wealthy

·     The Growth of the Poverty Class

·     The American Dream

They are too big right now. Your job is to make them smaller.

Develop a focus, and then split that large focus up into smaller topics that you can write about. 

See the chart below for an example. You can also look at the previous post on Rule of Three.

Class Canceled on Tuesday, November 5. Please read the following carefully

Please read the entire post carefully.

Due to a family emergency, I need to cancel class on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Even though I am cancelling class, I still want you to do a couple things to get started on the mini-essay you will be turning in next week.

1.   First, finish watching Extreme Prison Gangs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-aYqGMeWfk. While you watch, be sure to jot down moments that you see something really wrong with the jail/prison system. Remember, part of the taxes you pay go to these institutions. Do you think your money is being misspent, why or why not? What do you want prisons to do and how is that different from what they are doing?

2.     Last Thursday, you had a choice between two articles to read. You hopefully read one and blogged about it. Please read the other one before beginning your essay outline assignment.

3.    Now that you have taken in some reputable information about the prison system in America, form a thesis that states the following:

a.     What problem(s) do you see

b.     How do you think prisons should work

c.      Why is what you are saying important, what difference do you think your ideas will make in the recidivism rates and why

4.    Then write an outline for your paper. Make sure that your points aren’t too Big/General. Speak specifically about the problems you see and how you would solve them and why they need to be solved.

5 .  Bring a print out of that outline to class on Thursday, November 7.

________________________________________________________________________________

Your mini-essay will be due next week on Thursday, November 14, and it will be a minimum of 2 pages. You will use a minimum of 2 quotes from the book Tattoos on the Heart and a maximum of 3 quotes from other sources we found in class. This is a really short paper that should be full of your opinions and ideas, not the words of others. You will have an intro with a thesis at the end of that intro and a conclusion. I will expect your body paragraphs to be in PIE form.

This is an argumentative essay that will have credible references in it. Everything I have shared with you I found using the Chabot databases. On Thursday, we are meeting in the library, room 119. My 7:30 class please “line up outside of the building 2300 side of the library on the ramp/walkway.” There we are going to get a lesson on how to use this database to find reliable resources for our papers. I will bring a little assignment to help guide your searching. I will also give you back your papers with an update on your current class grade.

I apologize for the inconvenience. I will see you all Thursday, November 7. 

Let's think about prison (Due on October 31, 2013)

"U.S. Prison Myth vs. Mayhem"
http://proxy1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=54218132&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custID=chabot

"Punishment vs. Rehabilitation: A Proposal for Revising Sentencing Practices"
http://proxy1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=aph&AN=9608122364&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custID=chabot

On your own blog, respond to one of articles above.

Consider the following when responding to (giving your opinion on) the article on your blog:

·       What was the article about?

·       Is prison the best solution for dealing with gang members? Why or why not?

·       In your own opinion, what can we partner with prison to make it more successful?

·       Talk about something interesting you learned from reading the article?

·       What was confusing and why?

Essay 2: Final Guidelines

You are almost finished writing a persuasive essay with well-crafted PIE paragraphs. You had the option of creating paragraphs that focused on one of the following issues connected to poorly funded public schools: school resources, bad teachers and protecting the wealthy. Your Essay should be full of your opinions on one of these topics and mainly the book Savage Inequalities should support those opinions. “The goal of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. The writer must build a case using facts and logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, and sound reasoning. The writer should present all sides of the argument, but must be able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain position is correct” (timeforwriting.com). For a writer to turn their opinions into an academic discussion, the writer must use outside sources to backup or prove their point of view. It is essential in a persuasive essay for the writer to illustrate their points and comment on those illustrations to create clear arguments and prove he or she has thought deeply about the assertions posed. If the writer does not, their argument can be considered careless and is more likely to be dismissed, which is exactly what he or she does not want to happen when trying to be persuasive.

***A side note: Be wary of the use of the word “I.” If used too much, it can make your argument very small. State your opinions in ways that make them larger than you. The word “I” is best used sparingly and in illustrations, not in your points.

This time around, I will be focusing on your paragraph structure and how well it supports your P.O.V.

1)   In each paragraph, I will look for whether or not you are writing 3-4-5 sentences to convey your point at the top of your paragraphs.

2)   I will then check to see if you have included an illustration in your paragraph.

3)   I will then check if you are writing 3-4-5 sentences commenting on how your illustration supports/furthers/digs deeper into your point.

Remember do not begin or end a paragraph with an illustration.

Your essay will be a minimum of 12 pages long (BRNDJTM). You will need to use at least 6 quotes from the book Savage Inequalities.

Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, and in MLA format. Please also include a work-cited page.

Your essay is due October 17, 2013. Bring a printed copy to class. Do not email me the paper. Bring a printed copy to class. College is hard work and full of deadlines, do not be late, and turn in the paper on time. Talk to me ahead of time if there is an issue.

Final Draft Guidelines: Final Draft Due Tuesday, October 15, 2013

• Organize your 21 paragraphs to make the writing flow better
• Add transitions between your paragraphs
• Add an Introduction and Conclusion. Make sure there is a thesis at the end of your Introduction.
• The essay should have a minimum of 6 quotes from the book Savage Inequalities.
• Your essay must be 12 pages. It can be more.
• Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, and in MLA format.
• Bring to class a printed copy and have access to your draft electronically as well because we will be working on them in the computer lab.

***Important: You are not required to use all 21 of your paragraphs. If a few of them don't work with the the rest you can take them out. Just be sure you have 12 pages of writing by October 15, 2013.

Announcements

Hello Students,

Please bring your graded essay with you to class on Thursday, 10/10

Please be sure to bring a printout of your paragraphs to class on Thursday, 10/10

I will be in the WRAC center (the computer lab above the library) on Wednesday, 10/9, from 8-11am and then 12-2pm. Come see me if you need assistance with your work.

We will start to reading Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle this coming weekend. Purchase the book by Thursday so you can stay on task. 

See you soon,

Ms. Williams