Wednesday, November 27th, 2013--10 am

Greetings,

below you will find the Packet 8 assignment to view and read. It is due to be completed by Monday, December 2nd. It is also noted on your syllabus.

Packet #8 Assignment (one article and one video):

http://www.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/04/19/human-trafficking-mixing-up-views-on-immigration-to-the-united-states/

http://www.ted.com/talks/sunitha_krishnan_tedindia.html

ALSO!
Have a wonderful and safe holiday. :)

Monday, November 25th

Hello,

I posted on the blog a week ago about taking this entire Thanksgiving week off from classes.
When I post, I always assume that all students read the blog! :)
(it is a requirement of the course...ahem...)

However, I received a few emails from students who were not aware.
So I felt compelled to tell all of you, again!

:)

(please refer to the post from November 18th)
I noticed only 59 students read the blog on the 18th. I have 75 1A students, so that is why I am a bit concerned.

PLEASE READ IMMEDIATELY--Tuesday, November 19th--9:25 pm

Hello,

I am currently in Santa Rosa with my mother. She has suffered another stroke. I will not be able to be back on campus until tomorrow afternoon, so I will have to cancel all my morning classes, which means all three of my 1A sections. I am so sorry for this inconvenience.

If you have a rough draft to submit for essay 3, you have two options:

1. you can place it in my faculty mailbox in the English Dept. mailroom in Calaveras.
2. you can email it to me as a Word document

We will obviously move tomorrow's discussion about the reading to Friday.

Again, I am so sorry for this late notice!

Monday, November 18th, 2013--9:15 pm

Greetings,

A few things:

1.  The oral presentation assignment was assigned and discussed in class on September 9th. It was also posted on the blog on the same day. I explained it in great detail, and I believe most of you took down notes as well. It is really straightforward, but AFTER you carefully review the handout and your notes, and there are any questions that are still up in the air, please ask me. :) Again, sign ups for the presentations will be on Friday this week.

2.  A few of you are still confused about Q and C homework. You have only four Q and C assignments for the semester, and you have completed all four. All reading assignments that do NOT have "Q & C due" written after them on the syllabus do NOT require a Q and C. :)

3.  In the past, I always gave my students the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off simply because the majority of students were already out of town for the holiday. Gradually, the entire week became fairly absent of students in my classes. Consequently, I began to give my classes both Monday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week off. And it will be that way this semester as well. :)
Unfortunately, I realize that OTHER instructors do not follow my reasoning and you may be required to attend other classes that week.

Sunday, November 17th--7:45 pm

Hello,

As the semester quickly speeds to a finish, I wanted to give all of you a friendly reminder about the oral presentation assignment that was assigned and discussed the first week of classes.

We will have sign-ups for those on Friday.

See you tomorrow! :)

Friday, November 15, 2013--7:15 pm

Greetings,

Below you will find a copy of the handout from Wednesday that provides a synopsis of the film we viewed, along with the three prompts for In Class Essay 2 on Monday. You will have the full class period to respond to ONE of the prompts.

REMEMBER TO BRING A BLUE OR GREEN BOOK TO CLASS ALONG WITH A PEN.

FROZEN RIVER (2008)------Full Synopsis

A desperate single mother living in upstate New York resorts to smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States as a means of making ends meet in first-time feature director/screenwriter Courtney Hunt's emotionally wrenching drama, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Ray Eddy is in an impossible position; it's two days before Christmas and her husband has suddenly disappeared with all of the family savings. Now, as the newly single mother of two realizes the futility of attempting to cover the house payments on her meager Yankee One Dollar Store wages, her children are forced to exist on a nutritionally devoid diet of popcorn and Tang. Deciding that her only hope for survival is to find a man who will support her and her children, Ray sets out to find a husband but instead makes the acquaintance of street-smart Mohawk Lila Littlewolf. Lila, too, has been struggling to keep her head above water amidst economic despair, and has recently stumbled across a rather unconventional solution to her dire financial situation. Lately, Lila has been earning a living by smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S., but her tribal elders vehemently disapprove of the scheme and have recently attempted to stop it by forbidding the local auto dealers from selling her a car. As fate would have it, Ray's Dodge Spirit may just be the only thing the destitute mother can count on anymore, and as this unlikely pair gas up the tank for a daring dash across the iced-over St. Lawrence River, their fates become forever intertwined in ways that neither could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

(Melissa Leo (Ray) was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress and Courtney Hunt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best First Screenplay)

ESSAY PROMPTS:

*******************************************************************************************

1. Do you consider the film, Frozen River, an authentic film? In other words, do you believe Lila and Ray’s lives are portrayed by the writer/director in a genuine and realistic manner? Support your response with specific examples from the film.

********************************************************************************

2. Frozen River appears to be a film that is littered with symbolism. Some of the elements that could be considered symbolic of a particular theme or idea are:

·      the frozen St. Lawrence river

·      the double wide trailer

·      the landscape

·      the infant in the duffle bag

·      the blowtorch

·      Ray’s collection of bubble bath that she never uses

DO YOU SEE OR NOTICE OTHERS?

You will select at least three symbols utilized in the film and explain their significance specifically

*********************************************************************************

3.  How might you complete this sentence? However you fill in the blanks, you will then write an essay supporting your assertion specifically.

The film, Frozen River, is less about________________________________________________

and more about________________________________________________________________________.

Thursday, November 14th, 2013--9 pm

Hello!

I am working my way through the essay 2 revisions and I need to stop and vent for a moment....:)

It has taken me almost two hours to go through seven revision submissions. (!!!???)
This is due to students simply not revising EVEN the errors I DID note...
And many did not highlight their changes in the revised copy.

Just a gentle reminder:
When you revise, you are the editor and proofreader. I, of course, note some problems and suggest ways to strengthen your writing. However, I do not note every single error. For example, if I noted that you had a lot of wordiness in your essay, I edited a small section to illustrate for you. But I did not edit out all the wordiness.

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013--2 pm

Greetings,

I hope all of you were able to enjoy the Monday holiday and perhaps catch up on some much needed rest...?!

Please read the following blog carefully; there is a  lot of information! :)

Below is the assignment for Out of Class Essay #3, which was assigned and discussed in class on Friday, November 8th.

Also below you will find the assignment for Packet #7, due on Wednesday, November 20th.

Reminders about Out of Class Essay 3:

• Each of the three prompts should be considered separate assignments. However, please staple them altogether when submitting. Also, remember to underline the thesis sentence in each response.
• The Works Cited page must have, at a minimum, the memoir recorded in MLA format.
• Be sure to mention the title of the memoir at least once, preferably at the beginning of each response.

OUT OF CLASS ESSAY #3

English 1A, Fall 2013. Professor C. Fraga

100 points possible

Essay Prompt

SELECT A ‘CHARACTER’ FROM THE MEMOIR, THE UNWANTED. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT CHARACTERISTICS ACCURATELY DESCRIBE THIS PERSON? FOR EVERY ASSERTION YOU MAKE ABOUT THIS PERSON, YOU MUST SUPPORT IT WITH AT LEAST THREE VERY SPECIFIC SUPPORTS FROM THE BOOK. THIS RESPONSE WILL BE EVALUATED ON YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE AN ASSERTION AND SUPPORT IT LOGICALLY AND ARTICULATELY. (75 POINTS)

Short Answer:

WHICH SCENE IN THE BOOK AFFECTED YOU MOST DEEPLY?  EXPLAIN HOW IT AFFECTED YOU AND WHY. (10 POINTS)

Short Answer:

THIS MEMOIR REFLECTS A WEALTH OF VARIOUS THEMES/TOPICS, INCLUDING OUR SEMESTER-LONG THEME OF HOME. SELECT ONE THEME THAT THE MEMOIR SUGGESTS AND OFFER EXAMPLES FROM THE BOOK TO SUPPORT YOUR ASSERTION. (15 POINTS)

Optional Rough Draft due no later than Wednesday, November 20th

Final Draft Due:  Wednesday, December 4th

********************************************

PACKET #7 ASSIGNMENT

"Readers Share Immigration Stories"

http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/share-your-immigration-story/?_r=0

Wednesday, November 6th--6:20 am

Good morning,
I apologize for such a late notice.
(I so rarely become ill!)
But alas, it has been a rough night and I am going to have to cancel my classes for today.
Again, I am so sorry for such a late announcement.
See you Friday.

Saturday, November 1, 2013--7:15 pm

Greetings...

Reminder to section 2 students only:
If you plan to revise out of class essay #2, the first revision is due no later than Wednesday, November 6th.
***********************
For students in sections 4 and 81, you will be receiving out of class essay back on Monday.

If you choose to revise, the first revision must be submitted no later than Wednesday, November 13th (since Monday, November 11th is a holiday and the campus is closed in recognition of Veteran's Day).