Week 4 Exploration

Groups
Using the vocabulary words and their definitions the different groups identified and provided from last week's readings, go to the New York Times and put one of the words in the search box. Find an article that somehow relates to the word, provide a five sentence response. In your response, summarize the article and explain how the word is used:

• Isolated-to be put apart to be completely alone and away.
• Bullishly-to act with self-assurance.
• Prolonged-to keep going, extend, draw out.
• Bristling-rising, standing up.
• Perplexity-not being able to understand, confusing, complication.
• Discerning-to distinguish or understand something.
• Connoisseur-someone who knows her stuff, an expert in matters of taste.
• Pathological-obsessive or diseased.
• Frantic-excited or wildly agitated.
• Pilgrimage-a journey to a shrine or holy place.
• Gesticulating-to make gestures when speaking.
• Doggedness-having persistence, tenacity.

Reading Discussion

1. Describe Haji Ali's household? (28)
2. What word could be used for the village of Korphe? (29)
3. Explain the following phrase: "...he thought he'd stumbled into a sort of Shangri-la" (30).
4. The children of Korphe sang the national anthem every morning as they began their school day without a school or teacher; the anthem includes the following lines: "Blessed be the sacred land. Happy be the bounteous realm, symbol of high resolve, land of Pakistan." Why do you think this detail is included in the book?

Lab Work
Make sure to complete the following for next week:

• Getting Started
• The Paragraph

I will be assigning a completion grade for these two areas next week. Make sure to complete the work before coming to our next class.

Reading
Read through Chapter 5 of Three Cups of Tea.

Once Again

It always surprises me to come into a class full of people who have had a very long day and see the room light up with the energy that comes from sharing and learning. I think you are all on your way to seeing some amazing things happen with your writing.

Summary of Class Activities

Warm Up:
In your groups, research one of the the following topics and present a short report:
-Baltistan culture
-K2
-Karakoram
-Food from Northern Pakistan

A Word about Returned Papers

I was pleased with this fist batch of paragraphs. I liked how many of you tapped into your natural writing voices and picked out good details to support your main idea. My main suggestion for revisions is to keep working on maintaining your focus on your topic sentence and supporting this main idea. I labeled at least one grammar issue in each paragraph. Take this week to work with MyWritingLab on that one issue. Come to class with questions.

Reading Activity

Form your groups and work and provide a report of the first two chapters of the book. Your group findings need to include the following:

-3 words and their definitions (using clues from the book.)
-A sentence providing the main idea for chapter 1 and a sentence for chapter 2.
-2 surprising details.
-A paragraph capturing the overall impression the group had of the reading.

Homework

Revise the paragraphs I returned and bring a typed double spaced copy along with the original. Staple the new copy to the original.

Complete MyWritinglab assignments.

Read Chapter 3 of Three Cups of Tea.

Write a new paragraph describing a promise made that changed the course of your life. Bring a typed copy of this paragraph to class on Thursday.

Motivation in the beginning, middle, and end!

Great Class on Thursday!

I hope you enjoyed Thursday's class as much as I did. It was great to see everyone sharing and getting comfortable with the idea of working in small groups. Your paragraphs for this week should be really good based on the drafts that you were reading to one another. Work hard!

Here's a reminder of the work you have to do:

1-Read the first two chapters of Three Cups of Tea.
2-Identify five words that are either difficult or interesting from the two chapters.
3-Revise your "Why are you in college?" paragraphs.
4-Post your paragraphs by Tuesday night to the MyCourses website. Place them in the Lessons-Paragraph#1 area.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Service-Learning Opportunity

We will have our first garden day this Saturday in celebration of Dr. King's work and vision. The event will run from 9 to 12 noon. If you are planning on attending, come dressed to work outside; bring a water bottle and a hat. Here's the address:

ROOTS IN THE CITY: EcoUrban Gardening
3rd Ave. & NW 9th St. (Plots are in front of Mt. Zion Baptist Church)


View Larger Map

Accelerate Your Learning

Please know that you can come in to Rm. 1217-17 (small room in the Computer Courtyard) from 9 to 12 noon on Wednesdays to get help with your writing. Bring a question, a paragraph, or an essay and you will get help!

Beginning

We have a lot of work to do! I hope you are eager to dig deep and find a wellspring of motivation so that this can be the very best semester all of us have had. Expect the great!