ENGLISH 1A (WILLIS), FALL, 2009

(Wednesdays)

1. 8/19 Intro; class rules (see below); talk about ILC; talk about “Autobiographical Incident” essay; read “The Keys.” We will also go over sections of Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference during each class.

HW: Write essay #1 (Autobiographical Incident); read pages 3-60 of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

2. 8.26 Turn in essay #1(Autobiographical Incident); take quiz 1 (35 questions on The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet); discuss “Problem Words” (Letter A) and “Parts of Speech.”

HW: Read pages 61-118 of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet; study “Problem Words” (Letter A) at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/problem_words.html; study “Parts of Speech” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/parts_of_speech.html.

3. 9/2 Take quiz 2 (21 questions on The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, 25 questions on the “Letter A,” 8 questions on “Parts of Speech” = 54 questions total) hand back essay 1; go over prominent errors; talk about rewrite of essay #1; discuss “Problem Words” (Letters B & C) and “Parts of Speech.”

HW: Rewrite essay #1; read pages 119-175 of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet; study “Problem Words” (Letters B & C) at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/problem_words.html; restudy “Parts of Speech” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/parts_of_speech.html.

4. 9/9 Turn in rewrite of essay #1; take quiz 3 (25 questions on The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, 20 questions on the “Letters B & C,” 13 questions on “Parts of Speech” = 58 questions total); talk about “Interpretation” essay; read “Mr. Rose” and “The Doorway.”

HW: Write essay #2 (Interpretation); read pages 176-231 of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

5. 9/16 Turn in essay #2 (Interpretation); take quiz #4 (46 questions on The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet); discuss “Mr. Rose” and “The Doorway”; hand out and go over “From Student Essays on ‘Mr. Rose’ and ‘The Doorway’”; discuss “Problem Words” (Letters D & E) and “Noun Use.”

HW: Read pages 232-85 of The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet; study (Letters D & E) at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/problem_words.html; study “Noun Use” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/noun_use.html.

6. 9/23 Take quiz #5 (32 questions on The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, 25 questions on the “Letters D & E,” 8 questions on “Noun Use” = 65 questions total); hand back essay #2; go over prominent errors; talk about rewrite of essay #2; discuss “Problem Words” (Letters F-L) and “Noun Use.”

HW: Rewrite essay #2; read pages 3-34 of Stubborn Twig; study (Letters F-L) at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/problem_words.html; study “Noun Use” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/noun_use.html.

7. 9/30 Turn in rewrite of essay #2; take quiz 6 (23 questions on Stubborn Twig, 25 questions on the “Letters F-L,” 8 questions on “Noun Use” = 56 questions total); talk about “Evaluation” essay.

HW: Write essay #3 (Evaluation); read pages 35-66 of Stubborn Twig.

8. 10/7 Turn in essay #3 (Evaluation); take quiz #7 (16 questions on Stubborn Twig); discuss “Problem Words” (Letters M-R) and “Verb Qualities.”

HW: read pages 67-106 of Stubborn Twig; study (Letters M-R) at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/problem_words.html; study “Verb Qualities” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/parts_of_speech.html, (#5).

9. 10/14 Take quiz #8 (31 questions on Stubborn Twig, 25 questions on the “Letters M-R,” 8 questions on “Verb Qualities” = 64 questions total); hand back essay #3; go over prominent errors; talk about rewrite of essay #3; discuss “Problem Words” (Letters S-T) and “Verb Tense.”

HW: Rewrite essay #3; read pages 107-152 of Stubborn Twig; study (Letters S-T) at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/problem_words.html; study “Verb Tense” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/parts_of_speech.html (#5c).

10. 10/21 Turn in rewrite of essay #3; take quiz 9 (27 questions on Stubborn Twig, 25 questions on the “Letters S-T,” 8 questions on “Verb Tense” = 60 questions total); talk about “Controversial Issue” essay.

HW: Write essay #4 (Controversial Issue) (read pages 153-188 of Stubborn Twig.

11. 10/28 Turn in essay #4 (Controversial Issue); take quiz 10 (21 questions on Stubborn Twig); discuss “Problem Words” (Letters U-Z).

HW: read pages 189-226 of Stubborn Twig; study (Letters U-Z) at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/problem_words.html.

12. 11/4 Take quiz #11 (14 questions on Stubborn Twig, 11 questions on the “Letters U-Z,” 22 questions on “Verbs” = 47 questions total); hand back essay #4; go over prominent errors; talk about rewrite of essay #4; discuss “Usage Problems.”

HW: Rewrite essay #4; read pages 227-284 of Stubborn Twig; study “Usage Problems” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/usage.html.

13. 11/11 Turn in rewrite of essay #4; take quiz 12 (19 questions on Stubborn Twig, 33 questions on the “Usage Problems” = 52 questions total); talk about “Reflective” essay; read “Lest We Forget.”

HW: Write essay #5 (Reflective).

14. 11/18 Turn in essay #5 (Reflective); discuss “Apostrophes, Brackets, Bullets, Colons, Ellipses, Em Dash, En Dash, Exclamation Points, Hyphens, Parentheses, Periods, Quotation Marks, and Semicolons”

HW: study “Apostrophes, Brackets, Bullets, Colons, Ellipses, Em Dash, En Dash, Exclamation Points, Hyphens, Parentheses, Periods, Quotation Marks, and Semicolons” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/punctuation.html.

11/25 No class – Thanksgiving break.

15. 12/2 Take quiz #13 (20 questions on “Apostrophes, Brackets, Bullets, Colons, Ellipses, Em Dash, En Dash, Exclamation Points, Hyphens, Parentheses, Periods, Quotation Marks, and Semicolons”); hand back essay #5; go over prominent errors; talk about rewrite of essay #5; discuss “Commas.”

HW: Rewrite essay #5; study “Commas” at http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/punctuation.html.

16. 12/9 Turn in rewrite of essay #5; take quiz #14 (20 questions on “Commas”); discuss upcoming final.

HW: Study for Final (Read and download a copy of “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”) http://www.oocities.org/jimwillisca/omelas.html.

17. 12/16 Final Exam – a hand-written in-class essay.

English 1A (Willis) Rules

    1. You must turn in all five essays to pass the class.

    2. You must take the final exam to pass the class.

    3. On your fourth absence, you will be dropped from the class.

    4. I will eliminate your four lowest quiz scores.

    5. You are required to attend the ILC one hour per week.

    6. Your semester grade will be determined as follows:

      a) Each essay will count !0% of your grade (5 essays x 10% = 50%).

      b) Each quiz will count 5% of your grade (10 quizzes x 5% = 50%).

      c) Your in-class final essay will be used to move your grade slightly up or down.

      d) Your attendance (or lack of) at the ILC will also be figured into your grade.

      e) Your grade will be dropped 10% if you do not complete the ILC requirements.