Friday, November 30, 2012

Looking ahead to next week...


Since we are pressed for time, we will start class promptly at 8:30 each day next week!

By next Friday, the reading assignments on the internet (townsendpress.com) MUST BE COMPLETED. These grades will be considered as part of your final reading grade. But the main reason I'm having you do them is that they are fantastic reading practice. 

Friday, November 30:
COMPASS TEST!
HW: Tipping Point, chapters seven and eight (reading test on Monday)
Lecture preparation (TBA)

Monday, December 3:
Research presentations (1 hour)
Listen to lecture for final exam tomorrow (30 minutes)
Tipping Point reading exam (chapters 6 and 7) OPEN NOTE (30 minutes)

Tuesday, December 4:*
Research presentations (1 hour)
Listening exam (1 hour)

Class Party!

Thursday, December 6:
Research presentations (1 hour)
Final Reading exam (chapters 8, 9, and 10) (1 hour)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Tipping Point Reading Test Chapter 5 (due Thursday night at midnight!)

You may use your notes. I trust you not to use your book.

3 Questions:

1.     Gladwell writes:  “As human beings…we can only handle so much information at once. Once we pass a certain boundary, we become overwhelmed. What I’m describing here is an intellectual capacity—our ability to process raw information. But if you think about it, we clearly have a channel capacity for feelings as well” (TP, 176).                                                                  
 The Tipping Point was written before the phenomenon of Facebook. What do you think Gladwell would say about Facebook friends in terms of this “channel capacity?”
 
2.  Explain the concept of transactive (shared) memory as it relates to the chapter. Give an example how it might work in one of your relationships.
  
3.     The Ya-Ya Sisterhood epidemic reveals the critical role that groups play in social epidemics. Psychologists tell us much the same thing: that when people are asked to consider evidence or make decisions in a group, they come to very different conclusions than when they are asked the same questions by themselves. Can we ever really make a decision in a vacuum (which means, in isolation), solely based on our own feelings, or do our peers or surroundings always influence us somehow? Explain.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Presentation Schedule

You can switch with each other. Just let me know.

Thursday:  Veronica, Vu, Luisa
Monday:  Chune, Jacky, Mohammad, Lin
Tuesday:  Kyoung, Fatimah, Joe, Yo
Thursday:  Eiman, Ileana, Shay, Bank

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Grammar Powerpoint Presentations

Here are some powerpoints that I made for my 5 class. I'm posting them here in case you guys want to review before the Compass. Also, here is a link to my video reviewing adverb clauses (it says adjective clauses by mistake): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTKXw9v2NF4 If you watch it, please tell me how I did!

Good news

I've decided to cancel the listening test this week. We will have a final listening test next week and that will be it. We just don't have time. I know that you're all going to be very depressed about this, but you'll get over it ;) Tomorrow I'd like to spend the entire time talking about arguments, fallacies, facts and opinions, and bias. Then on Thursday we'll have 3 presentations, a TP reading quiz, and we'll speak some more about arguments, fallacies, facts and opinions, and bias.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Final Presentations: Presenting Your Research Paper


 We're going to do four presentations each day, beginning on Thursday, and then continuing next Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (there is no class this Friday due to the Compass test and then next week there is no class on Wednesday or Friday). I am looking for volunteers who can be ready for Thursday, so please let me know. Otherwise, I will pick presenters ARBITRARILY (to use one of our vocabulary words).

 Final Presentation Instructions

1.     Address your topic in an interesting and informative manner in 7-10 minutes. You will then spend 2-3 minutes for questions from the audience and/or use your discussion questions to facilitate conversation.   
2.     Organize your talk into:
·      An introduction (including the background to the topic, if necessary, and the main points of your presentation).
·       A main body (including all the supporting points and any examples you think may make the meaning more clear).
·      A conclusion (in which you sum up the main ideas already presented). Include your own opinion about the topic if you wish.
3.     Be properly prepared:  Good presenters always rehearse what they are going to say.  Do this a couple of times every day starting a few days before you give the presentation.  I strongly advise that you do not memorize your research paper and stand in front of class and recite it.  That will be a very mundane presentation and your audience will be bored.  Be prepared to explain your points in more detail and show visual examples.
4.     Know your pronunciation problems: You are advised to ask your teacher how to say those words in advance.  Remember to stress key words.
5.  Use visual aids.  This is a requirement, not an option.  Select the information you choose to show wisely.  What you show us should either guide your audience and/or help illustrate your main point.  It should not be a distraction.
6.  Key/Vocabulary Words:  Be sure to prepare adequate explanations of any new, key words that you plan to use in your presentation. Choose only those vocabulary words that your classmates probably don't know, but that are essential to understand the topic and your discussion.  Put these words and their definitions (five or less) on a sheet of paper and make enough copies for each person in the class.
7.  Use cues and transition words/phrases to help your audience understand the format of your presentation.
8.  Be sure to refer to your sources either during the presentation or after.  Your last slide should be your bibliography. 
9.  You may use a NOTECARD during your presentation that includes key words, but nothing else.  
10. You must prepare two discussion questions that you can ask your classmates after the presentation.  These should not be yes/no questions.  They should be thinking questions.

Audience's Instructions

1.   It is your responsibility to understand the presentation, so if you have a question, please ask.  However, it is polite to wait until the end.
2. It is your responsibility to be a good audience which means being polite and attentive, maintaining good eye contact with the presenter, and responding to the presenter's questions.

Hi Guys... Checking in...

I hope everyone has had a good Thanksgiving break. And I hope it won't be too hard to come back to class tomorrow (me included)!

I had a good time camping with my family. Thankfully, the weather was mild.

I mentioned having a class party at my home this week. I'd like to postpone it until Tuesday, December 4th because there is no class that Wednesday so we can hang out without the pressure of having to wake up early the next day. Actually, I will have to go to the LCC, but you won't. Please let me know if there is an objection to the party next Tuesday.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Please post a comment if you did anything worth talking about!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Friday Fun Days

Bowling Queens

Happy Feet


Fall Festival

Friday Fun Day:  Halloween Edition






Sunday, November 18, 2012

Work for this week

This week I'd like to cover the chapter on argument.
I'd like to you to do practices 2-6 and review tests 3 and 4.
We'll talk about argument in class on Tuesday.
On Monday we'll have presentations and the vocabulary test.
On Tuesday we'll have presentations and talk about argument.
We'll hold off on a Tipping Point reading quiz until we return from the break.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Sign of the Times

 Having some coffee
 dinner in a restaurant
 appreciating art in the museum
 conversation in a coffee shop
 a pleasant day at the beach
 rooting for your team
 a date with your boyfriend or girlfriend
sightseeing...

Albert Einstein:
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of IDIOTS."

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Schedule Update


Thursday:
Listen to the lecture and take notes
Listening test
Irony:  Why I Want a Wife

Friday:
Short TP reading quiz on ch. 4
Eiman/Yo and Omar/Shay

Monday:
Vocabulary test (Lists 1, 2, and 3)
Vu/Bank, Chune/Fatimah, Luisa/Lin

Tuesday:
Mohammad/Veronica, Jacky/Kyoung, Joe/Ileana

Monday, November 12, 2012

Switching rooms on Wednesday

On Wednesday, you'll have both classes in Greg's room. I'll teach there the first two hours and then the last two hours with Greg, as usual. He needs to use my room so that 5A can do presentations.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Looking ahead to next week..

I forgot to mention that today was our two month anniversary together. Happy anniversary, guys!

Also, what a great debate today. I am very impressed with your preparation as well as your teamwork. I have to say that this is one of the best classes I've ever had in this regard. You just work so well with each other. That's why I'm pairing you up again for presentations.

Let me try to give you a heads up for some of the work ahead next week:

Monday:
First, we'll have our second debate. I think we'll allow each team about 10 minutes to argue each time. Then we'll discuss "Sex, Lies, and Conversation." If there's time, we'll do listening work.

Tuesday:
Listening work/lecture 7
(If you want to start preparing for this, look over the vocabulary on p. 105, read the article on p. 106, and do exercises 12 and 14)

Wednesday:
Listening work/listening test

Thursday:
2 process presentations
Tipping Point vocabulary test (introduction and chapters 1-3)

Friday:
2 process presentations

It's possible that I won't give a reading test on chapter 4 of Tipping Point. I might ask you to do something else with this chapter, such as write a short paper. I haven't decided yet.

Finally, please go on line to townsendpress.net and do the work on the inference chapter which I've assigned.

Process Presentations

For this presentation, I'd like you to explain a process--either how something works, or how something is made. Please post your team's topic as a comment so I can approve the topic and avoid repetition. Very simple topics (like how to cook something) are to be avoided.

It could be a process that you're already familiar with, or it can be something that you learn about. Pick something that you're both interested in. Make sure you tell us the source of your information to avoid plagiarism.

Process Presentations

Here's the schedule:

Thursday:  Ileana/Joe     Luisa/Lin
Friday:  Eiman/Yo   Omar/Shay
Monday:  Vu/Bank   Chune/Fatimah
Tuesday:  Mohammad/Veronica   Jacky/Kyoung


Here are some good examples of process presentations (which) you can watch from a prior class. Notice how these presenters use good cues to lead us from one step to another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RhBAocTGP8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uugUKmeOWjA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5wTBoJhrTI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrLACH-8aGI

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Change in the schedule

Hi Guys,

I want to correct the schedule, which says that we're having a listening test on Friday. I gave you the listening test today, so there is no other listening test for this week.

Tomorrow we'll have a reading test on "Sex, Lies, and Conversation," a short reading test on "Tipping Point," chapter 3 (stickiness), and then we'll discuss "S, L, and C." We'll also go over some of the homework I asked you to do in the inference chapter (including "What I learned from Shamu.")

On Friday we'll have the debate and begin the chapter on purpose and tone.


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

This sounds like fun

International Explosion (Talent Show)

Wednesday, November 7th
6:30pm–8:30pm

Cullen Performance Hall

Different groups on campus will be performing to find out who truly is the best. There will be music, dancing, etc. Come support this FREE talent show.

http://www.uh.edu/csiceo/#

Monday, November 5, 2012

Little Brown Handbook

Hi guys,
Greg wants to everybody know the following: "LB Handbook e-book course has been fixed:
go to the pearsonmylab.com website and register for the URQUHART87798 (no spaces; it is not case senstive either), and you WILL be successful."

So, we can register now.

Saludos,

From Amnesty International: Two Current Prisoners of Conscience

 Notice all of your new vocabulary from today:

 
15 October 2012
Forced “confessions” and unfair trials: two Bahraini teachers sentenced to imprisonment

//
Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman. © Private
Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb are former leaders of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association.

On 21 October an appeal court upheld the guilty verdict against Mahdi and Jalila but reduced their prison sentences to five years and six months respectively.
They were arrested in 2011 after calling for a teachers strike in support of protesters’ calls for reform in Bahrain. Whilst in detention they were held in solitary confinement, where they say they were subjected to torture or other ill-treatment and forced to sign “confessions”.  
They were initially tried before a military court and convicted of, among other things, attempting to overthrow the ruling system by force and inciting hatred of the regime. Amnesty International believes neither or them used or advocated violence and is not aware that any such evidence was presented during their trials.

We need you to continue putting pressure on the Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mahdi, as a prisoner of conscience, and ensure that Jalila does not serve any of her remaining sentence. In the face of injustice and repression they need your support now.


Sign the petition below:
 
Your Excellency,
We the undersigned call on you to ensure that the convictions and sentences of Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb’s are quashed, that Mahdi, as a prisoner of conscience, is immediately and unconditionally released and that Jalila is not returned to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence.
We respectfully urge you to investigate their allegations of torture and other ill-treatment in custody, make the results public and hold anyone responsible to account.
Sincerely,
3287
Actions taken

Wednesday's Debate

Debate 1:  Internal Affairs and International Relations

Team A:  Human rights abuses are international issues that should be of concern to foreign governments, trade partners, and others in the international community.

Luisa, Kyoung, Shay, Omar

Team B:  Human rights abuses are issues that should be handled internally without international interference.

Veronica, Eiman, Yo, Lin

Debate 2:  Amnesty International's Principles
Team A:  AI's principles are the best means by which to deal with the problems of human rights violations.

Jacky, Bank, Fatimah, Vu

Team B:  AI's principles need changing. There are more effective ways to deal with human rights violations.

Joe, Mohammad, Ileana, Chune

Friday, November 2, 2012

Homework for the weekend and other things...

1.  If you're going to the Renaissance Festival, HAVE A GREAT TIME and TAKE PICTURES and then SEND ME YOUR PICTURES!

2.  Daylight savings time:  We turn the clocks back one hour on Sunday. Enjoy the extra hour in your day, but don't be late for class on Monday!

3.  In RS, ch. 7 (Inference); pp. 283-292 (this was previously assigned as homework); also, review test 4, which I think you will enjoy, but it has a lot of vocabulary that you might not know, so you'll probably need to read it twice. We'll talk about the first part on Monday, but let's discuss review test 4 on Tuesday. Please be prepared!

4.  Listening work--already posted for you on the blog. Due Tuesday.

5.  Tipping Point--We'll do chapter 2 next week (on stickiness). I don't have the vocabulary list yet, but I'll post it when I have it for you. We'll have the reading quiz on Thursday in the Call Lab.

6.  Listen to Learn:  study the vocabulary in the box on p. 70 and do exercise 12 on p. 79. We'll listen to the lecture on Monday and Tuesday.

6.  I encourage you to listen to each other's voicethread presentations.
Also, for those of you who haven't completed them yet, please do so.

7.  Finally, what a great group of presentations you guys did! Each and every one was thoughtful and entertaining. Nice work.

Listening Work #6: "Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce" (due Tuesday, 11/6)

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

What's the main idea and what did you learn from it?

Thursday, November 1, 2012

For Friday

Please read pp. 284-292 in the reading book (inference) for tomorrow. We'll also finish the technology presentations.

Tomorrow is Friday Fun Day. You can bring snacks and you can dress up (the theme of the fun day is Halloween).

We'll finish our technology presentations.
I received questions from Ileana, Lin, Veronica, and Eiman.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-rIza1967iVaERCYms1bVF0dTg/edit