Farewell

Thanks for a great semester! You are ready to take off now, and I wish everyone the best of luck. Please feel free to continue to use the class resource pages for review and information: Writing Links Also, the SFU library's Student Learning Commons will continue to support you in your writing.
Enjoy the summer!
Sue

Critical Summaries - Ethical Man

I will continue to post information here but your comments are now optional. There is no homework but you should be revising your four entries for the Portfolio. Please bring these to class to do peer editing on Monday.
Also, just a reminder that your blog entries will be due for the last class. You don't need to add any more comments, but please edit the ones you have done and e-mail them to me on Wed. Aug.1st. In total, there should be fifteen entries.
Enjoy the weekend.

Applying to Context

Thanks again to our mini-lesson pre- senters. On Monday, July 16, our last three groups will present: Semicolon (Kirsten, Robert, Mike & Jotie), Homonyms (Kirsten & Jotie) and Syntax (Albert & Boris).
**Reminder: Please e-mail me your Second Diagnostic Essay by 9 pm Sunday, July 15. I will try to return them to you in class on Monday.
Blog question: After reading Chapter 11 "Strategic Reading" in our textbook, please choose an interesting idea in the chapter and discuss how it might help your writing.
Stay cool!

Second Diagnostic Essay

**Please note: there is no blog entry for today. Spend your time working on your Second Diagnostic Essay. Please bring it to class on Wednesday.
Thanks to the presenters of the mini-lessons today. On Wednesday, we will have groups do 1) Plurals (Frank, Luan & Jake), and 2) Style (Jared & Robert).

Writing Conclusions

Thanks to our groups who did today's mini-lessons. On Monday, July 9, our next two groups will teach the class about their topics: "Articles" ( Albert, Frank, Luan & Derek), and "Verb Tenses" (Kevin, Peter, Edward & Jake).
Please also prepare for Monday an outline on a topic of your choice on which you will write an essay during class. You should also bring your Diagnostic Feedback.
Blog question: Write a short conclusion about your favorite movie (or another movie). Pretend you have just written a long essay about why this is an important movie in the history of filmmaking. Now you are making some final points about the movie’s significance.
Enjoy the nice weather!

Writing Paragraphs

**Reminder: No class on Monday, July 2**
For Wednesday, July 4, please write the middle paragraph which would follow the introduction I wrote on the board today in class. The introduction is posted on our class website: Class Notes . You may use the information from the New York Times article handed out today in class but use your own words. Bring this paragraph to class on Wednesday.
Please research your topic for the mini-lessons and put the rules and sample sentences on your transparency. Two groups will teach the class on Wednesday: Group One (Kevin, Derek, Peter and Boris) on "Subject-Verb Agreement", and Group Two (Jared, Mike and Edward) on "Prepositions".
Blog question: Choose your favorite movie (or another movie) and write a paragraph as if you were a character in the movie. Have the character tell us what he/she wants and why. Be sure to use the character’s voice.

Writing Introductions

***Reminder: Due on Wed., June 27, is the final copy of "Am I an Active Learner?"
Today each person was assigned two mini-lesson topics. Please find out what the rule is for your topic and create 2-3 sentences showing examples of correct usage. You can take one sentence from your Diagnostic essay and show us how to correct it. Here is the link to our webpage that connects to other writing centres for information on the topics: FAL Writing Links . Do not copy information from these sites -- please explain the rules in your own words. Bring these to class on Wed.
Today we also wrote introductions from the key points in the middle of the "hydrogen car" essay. Please rewrite the introduction and e-mail to to Sue by Tuesday night.
Blog question: Thinking about introductions, tell the class about your favorite movie.

Applying to Context - Introductions

Good luck to those of you with mid-term exams. Remember to read the directions carefully and scan through the test before you begin. When in doubt, pick "C"!
Reminders: For our next class, Monday, June 25, please rewrite the introduction from the essay you had peer edited in class Wed. (You only have to rewrite the introduction.) Please also rewrite your essay, "Am I an Active Learner?" for Wed., June 27. Bring this to class Wed. with the peer editing sheets.
Blog question for today: Do you think your voice or style has changed over the semester? If you read a paper out loud, can it help you find your voice? What are you “hearing”?

Trip to the SFU Library

Hope you found today's work- shop helpful. The Student Learning Commons is a service for SFU students who would like to receive assistance with their academic writing, so don't hesitate to visit.
Reminders: Please bring the following to class on Wed., June 20: 1) Rewrite of your Diagnostic essay, 2) Draft of your "Am I an Active Learner" essay, 3) writing samples from your other studies, 4) Three questions you have about writing (after reading Murray article).
Blog question for today: Do you have mid-term exams this week? Discuss some of the strategies for taking an exam: before, during and at the end. For example, what is the first thing you do when the instructor hands you the test paper?

"Am I an Active Learner?"

REMINDER: For our next class, on Monday, June 18, we will meet in our classroom and then walk over to the SFU Library's Student Learning Commons for a tour and some instruction on how to locate materials.
Homework reminder: Mark the errors on the "Essay with Problems" and bring to class Monday; do the reading and work on your draft of "Am I an Active Learner?". This draft and your rewrite of the Diagnostic essay will be due on Wed., June 20.
Blog question: What is the most important thing you have learned about writing so far?

Formal and Informal Style

Please have a good look at the papers I returned to you today, especially the Diagnostic writing task results. The rewrite of the Diagnostic essay is due Wed., June 20th.
Note the reading for homework (Murray/Giltrow). Prepare short answers on the Giltrow exercises for discussion in class.
Today's blog question: Do you have a website? Use MSN? Send a lot of e-mail? Who do you mostly write to? Do you think using poor writing styles/abbreviations /slang/symbols for the majority of the writing you do is bad for your overall writing? Argue a position in ONE paragraph.

Writing for different audiences

For Monday, please find examples of three kinds of writing and do a text analysis for each. Bring them to class so we can share our ideas.
For instructions on how to find academic journals online through the SFU library, please go to our class website and look at "Class notes" and scroll down to Class Nine. http://www.sfu.ca/~smbarber/falclass.htm
Our first "Mini-lesson" is also online with links to University websites and their Writing Centres. http://www.sfu.ca/~smbarber/mini-les.htm
Here is the blog question for today: list three types of writing you have to do in your other courses. Which type of writing is most difficult and why?

After Monday's class

Please note the change: there is no blog posting for today. Use this time to complete your Group Presentation summaries and your individual reflections on the presentation. Both of these assignments are due Wed., June 6.

The Presentations

Congratulations to all the groups for doing a good job. The topics were interesting and definitely
"controversial"! The audience also did well in discussing the topics in an academic manner.
**Reminder** In one week the other two parts of the project are due: the group written summary and the individual personal reflection on the experience.
Please remember to post on the blog this week two pieces of feedback about the presentations.
Have a great weekend!

Presentation preparations

This week there is no reading as we prepare for our group presentations. The information on how to write a persuasive argument is now on the class website.
Today's blog question: Have you done group work in other courses at SFU? In high school or another school? What makes for successful group work?

Outlines for Group Presentations

From what I heard today, there should be some very interesting presentations next Wednesday. Please remember to e-mail me your outlines by Monday at the latest.
Here's our blog question for today: You have received feedback on a couple of pieces of writing now. Do you notice the peer reviewers make similar comments? If so, what will you need to work on in future writing and why?

Literacy Histories and Early Memories

We've completed Unit One today, "Writing About Yourself". Brainstorming and writing an outline together helps to make the writing process more open and visible. Here's the link to the outline we did in class:
http://www.sfu.ca/~smbarber/falclass.htm REMINDER: There is no class Monday, May 21, but you have two assignments due on Wednesday, May 23: the final rewrite of "A Major Event in My Life", and either (1) "My Literacy History" or (2) "My Earliest Memory".
Here's the blog question for today: How do you write best? Do you like a very quiet space with no disruptions? Do you listen to music? Do you talk about ideas with someone else, or work through your ideas on your own?

Hello everyone

Hi, my name is Kevin. I graduated last year from high school and this is my second semester at SFU. I hope everyone can do well in this class and good luck in the future.

Rewriting "A Major Event"

It was a pleasure to read your "Major Event" stories today.
Finding good ideas are the first step in writing.

Here is the link to our class notes:
http://www.sfu.ca/~smbarber/falclass.htm
And the blog question for today: When you have to write a paper, where do your ideas come from? Talk a bit about how you get started on a writing assignment. Describe your method or why methods don't work for you.

Hello

Hi everyone!

My name is Jonny. This is my second semester in SFU, but I'm a third year student in my major (Computer Science) since I've transfered from York U, Toronto. So, I'm still fresh in here and enjoying many things better than Toronto such as weather, tourist attraction, and living cost, etc. It's such a very beautiful place to live.

It's nice to meet you all. Hope we would have a good time in this Summer.

Hey

Hi everyone,
My name is Kirsten, I'm in my first semester at SFU. I graduated from high school last year but took a year off to figure out what i wanted to do. i have decided that i want to work with children but that's as far as i have gotten. I'm excited to get to know all of you and have a fun semester. hope everyone has a good weekend. See you on Monday!!!

Trying posting

Trying posting in the root of the blog. It was not accessible to be before. Thanks for suggestion, Sue. Now I signed in at the link you sent me. Please check my status now. Boris

After class May 9

Thanks to everyone for posting on the blog and handing in your first piece of writing today. There are some very interesting ideas there!
Please post your answer to the blog question by clicking on the "comments" just at the bottom corner of this prompt. Here is the question: If you could go to any place in the world, where would it be and why? What book would you take with you and why?

Hey there

Hey everyone,

My name is Robert, I am a first year year student at SFU and around 7th year over all. I received a degree from Douglas 6 years ago and after working full time for those 6 years I felt it was time to go back to school and get a degree so I could advance further along in my field of choice. I am a business major with an accounting designation.

It's nice to meet all of you; this should be a good class.

Cheers

Hellooo everyone~~~

Hello everyone~~~
I'm Jared...This is my first semester in SFU...Even though I am currently in Art faculty(Econ), I hope that I will be able to transfer to Business...
It's a such a pleasure to meet you all. Hope we can have a good time in this class~

HIHI~~~

Hi everyone, this is Derek...it takes a day for me to post this cuz i forgot to check my invitation.....anywayz......nice to meet u guys~~

Howdy Partnerssssssssss!!!!!

Hi my name is Jotie, nice to meet all of you. I'm really looking forward to meeting and getting to know everyone. I'M A NERD AND LOVE READING 24/7, SO IF ANYONE NEEDS HELP LET ME KNOW.

Hi Everyone =)

Hi, my name is Lily. I'm currently in my first year business.
Although I am planning to get a business degree, I'm still hesitating about what I should do in the future. Hopefully I can find out what my real interests are through the school years.
It is a great pleasure to meet you all in yesterday's class; and let's hope we all do well in this course!
See you tomorrow =D

hello

I eventually get access to internet! However, it took me several hours to do so as i had to set a wireless router which i had never tried doing it before in my aunt's room. It is great to see someone sharing his or her ideas here. See all of you tomorrow in class.

Frank

Hello everyone, I am Frank. Nice to meet you all. And that is all. god it is hard to type like this.

JP

hm.. Hello everyone. This is JP
Nice to meet you guyz in today's class.!!

Welcome to FAL!

I'm looking forward to spending part of the Summer with you and sharing our ideas. We have much to learn from each other and it will be fun to post our ideas on this blog. See you soon!