English 110Duel-Credit Orientation

Lecture

by

Anthony Priest

Illustrations by

Antonina Kravchenko

…and before I knew it… …shards of electricity… …transformed me.

One day while I was preparing a lecture, a passing storm shot a bolt of electricity into my laptop…

Of yeah…if you have questions about anything in this lecture, be sure to email me: AnthonyPriest@MissouriState.edu.

Hello!I’m Anthony Priest, chair of the English department at Missouri

State University in West Plains and your host for this informative dual-

credit lecture. I’d like to cover some important points

about the basic requirements of the English 110 course and then provide tips

for teaching the course effectively.

The catalog description of English 110 says students will

learn…“Critical reading and

writing skills applicable within and beyond the

college community. Emphasis on composition processes, argumentation

of diverse issues, and collaborative learning, such as peer review."

To that, I say, “Peanut Butter and Jelly

Sandwiches!”

What in the world do I mean by Peanut Butter and Jelly

Sandwiches? Well, when someone offers you a delicious PB&J, you may visualize the

sandwich and anticipate the overall flavor of the combined ingredients.

You don’t just think about the peanut butter, the jelly or the bread all by itself.

This isn’t nuclear science, but bear

with me…

the jelly …

…and bread.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches consist of…

Peanut Butter…

Jelly…

Ummm…that’s three things.

In the same way a PB & J consists of three ingredients, English 110 consists of three main

components:

Argumentation

Composition

Diversification

the jelly …

…and the bread.

Ummm…that’s three things.

Students will learn to use the language and skills necessary to participate in classical argument. To do this, they will study the patterns and purposes of argument and apply them to their reading, writing, and discussions throughout the semester. The skills gained from this study will be especially useful and meaningful to them throughout their education and life experiences.

Students will learn thecomposition process—howto express an idea clearly and convincingly through the written word—by readingabout and practicing the art of argumentative essay writing. They will study the components of writing such as purpose, audience and qualities of good writing, as well as organizing, writing, and revising. In addition, they will study research and documentation.

I break my course into six diverse topics. This means

students spend two to three weeks on each—viewing

lectures, reading texts, taking quizzes, discussing, and writing essays about each one of the

diverse issues.

As an example, during week one, my students begin to study the form and history of argument. I provide them with a number of readings about argumentation (we’ll call this the peanut butter). They will also begin a seriesof readings and lectures on the composition process (we’ll call this the jelly). The focus of our discussions and essay assignment will deal with a diverse topic…Pollution of Natural Resources (we’ll call this the bread).

1 2 3

It is important that you understand the way this course is structured. While we focus on three distinct areas (ingredients), these areas will be combined to form an overall body of knowledge (sandwich).

If you are a person who doesn’t like PB & J, try to

envision the course as a BLT or perhaps a chocolate sundae with candy sprinkles. Either

way, make it your goal to serve up the semester as meal that will satisfy your students!

…all of ourcourses are

identical. We all use the same…

Handbook

Textbook

Course Goals

Whether you are teaching this

course in Howell County…

Oregon County…

Or any other county in our service area…

I will provide you with a sample syllabus, a

sample lecture, and a sample assignment.

In addition to this lecture, you will receive a link to

Additional Resources.

I want to shed some light on other basic requirements for

this course.

A minimum of

6 essays are

required.

At least one documented

research paper is required.Reading quizzes and a final exam are required.

You are free to select readings from the text, create your own lectures, quizzes, and essay assignments,

but…Be sure to check for the

basic requirements described in this

lecture.

Want students to argue

for social revolution? Fine…just be sure the

assignment is tied to lessons/readings from the text.

Should felons vote?

Want students to write twelve argument essays instead of six? No

problem. They will have met the minimum requirement of six.

I thought I’d share some examples of

what I do with the writing

assignments…

…..Gaps in dealing with immigrants.....Hurricane in

abc

Headlines from around the world….Politics…Sports…Entertainment…Education…Technology…Finance

In today’s news, the Boy Scouts of America local chapter

8 P.M. – 79 degrees . Tomorrow: High 78 degrees – Low 54

Essay Two: Argue the effects of

media on culture.

LIVE

Essay Three:

Strategies for developing

effective arguments

Fourth essay…students write a

rhetorical analysis of a well-known argument.

Essay five is an evaluation argument challenging a popular position on the quality of a product or service that students know or use.

Essay six:

The Ethical Argument

For their first argument, I challenge students to convince floaters on our

Ozarks rivers that pollution of waterways is detrimental.

3-D…HD…

YES!

In order for students to receive dual credit, they must meet the requirements

established by the university.

Here’s the point.Purpose: Students will

demonstrate a clearly defined

purpose in their writing.

Audience: Students will

identify and write to diverse audiences.

Process: Students will learn that writing is a process of generating, rewriting, editing, and proofreading. Research &

Documentation: Students

will demonstrate

appropriate ethical methods

of research through

selection, evaluation, and

documentation of sources.

Correctness: Students will learn to control surface features such as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

I hope this orientation has been

helpful. You may have additional questions,

comments andconcerns, so…

Remember: If you have any questions regarding the information in this lecture, I am only an email away. Feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to respond quickly. My address is AnthonyPriest@MissouriState.edu.

Thank you for partnering with Missouri State University and the English department to offer quality educational opportunities to the students we serve!

FINAL NOTE