Welcome to your Freshman Composition II homework/assignments page!

04/16/07 Lunchtime! On Wednesday, bring your favorite poem or dramatic piece, and also bring a one-half to one-page explication of why you like that poem. We will read these (you will read yours, that is) in class on Wednesday, Friday, and perhaps on Monday also. I will also have your mock Junior English Exams graded and will hand them back on Wednesday. We will go over the best of these in class. I was mostly very happy with the results! Well done!

04/11/07 p.m. This post is my last for this semester; it is filled with reminders, so please read it carefully. Again, your Final Exam (your term paper) is due on FRIDAY, April 27^th, 9 a.m. 9:00 a.m., not 9:05 or even 9:10. See you then! I'll take up your term papers in Sheffield-Thompson C (our regular classroom). You may, if you wish, turn in your final the day or evening before. I will go by my office on the way to class. If your paper is not in my office before I come to class, it is considered late, and points are deducted, as stated clearly in your syllabus. Don't be late. Points will be deducted. See your syllabus. Many of you have come throughout the semester to see me in my office, and I want to thank you for the privilege of learning from you and with you as we sat in my office and discussed your writing and other things. Of course, I'm still available for that, but I did want to thank you here for all the good times of learning this semester! It has rocked! Please review the syllabus if you have questions about how your grade is configured. It is all spelled out there. Also, we've gone over the grading system many times in class. Attendance is and has been and always will be (I repeat) very important. I will grade your Junior English (practice) Exams on Monday and Tuesday and will turn them back to you on Wednesday of next week. We will go over them then. If you have any questions, bring them to class, e-mail them to me, or come see me (as you have been doing--awesome!). If student questions do come up that the whole class needs to see, I will post the questions and their answers here, so don't entirely stop looking at this space. Best of luck as you wind up your term papers. Remember that you still have sixteen days left to work on them. The "last call" for rewrites has already passed (it was today). I grade on improvement! Please remember that. Meanwhile, go forth and conquer, O ye mighty ones! (The book-signing is Saturday, April 21st, 2-4 at Barnes & Noble.)

04/09/07 Announcing: Your Final Exam takes place on FRIDAY, April 27^th, 9 a.m. 9:00 a.m., not 9:05 or even 9:10. See you then! I'll take up your term papers in Sheffield-Thompson C (our regular classroom). You may, if you wish, turn in your final the day or evening before. I will go by my office on the way to class. If your paper is not in my office before I come to class, it is considered late, and points are deducted, as stated clearly in your syllabus. Don't be late. Points will be deducted. See your syllabus.

04/08/07 Easter morning. Tomorrow (Monday) we will be writing a Junior English Exam in class, also on Wed. and Fri. Bring your Junior English Exam handout back to class with you tomorrow and every day this week. You will need one to do the test. You cannot share someone else's. I will not have extra copies; we are trying to conserve trees, as you know.

04/04/07 p.m. Next week we will be writing a Junior English Exam in class on MWF. Bring your handout with you. You will need one to do the test. You cannot share someone else's. I will not have extra copies; we are trying to conserve trees, as you know.

04/02/07 p.m. Tuesday (tomorrow) I will have office hours from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. (please note the change). I am reading your rewrites and enjoying them. On Wednesday we will go over the Junior English Exam further, and next week we will have a practice run at writing one. It will be fun! Remember that the book-signing is at Barnes & Noble on Saturday, April 21st, from 2:00 until 4:00.

03/23/07 p.m. Several reminders. Please remember that your rewrites are due on April 2nd, Monday. These are entirely voluntary; however, if you do rewrite your term paper's first two pages, you will find that I am most happy to reread them three times and regrade them. If the grade improves, you get that grade instead of the earlier one. If it doesn't improve or if it were to go down (but I doubt that, right?), then no change is made to your earlier grade. So, either way, it's a good deal for you! So please continue to work hard! Remember that your Little Brown has all kinds of tips and examples concerning writing term papers. Best of luck! I believe in you! The "last call" for rewrites is (I repeat) April 11th.

03/22/07 early a.m. Please bring your Little Brown textbooks to class tomorrow. And, thanks again for the awesome comments on the blog about the Grendel video! I re-read through them this morning and enjoyed them again.

03/21/07 p.m. Happy Spring! I do not think I have seen Rome more beautiful than this spring. It's truly awesome! We went over the diagramming quiz some today, and if you have more questions, please bring them to class on Friday, when we will answer / explore them. My approach to teaching/learning is that questions are always welcome, so thanks to Callie for posing great grammar questions today! On Friday, please also bring questions about your term papers. Please, bring questions! Some of you came by today to discuss your term papers, and others of you e-mailed me about your term papers. I heard many good questions about term papers today. Remember that I grade on improvement. That should keep you cheerful and diligent as you continue to work on your term paper, at home, in the dorm, in the Writing Center, in my office, and in the library. Keep a good attitude, work hard, and anything is possible! I am on your side. I want you to succeed. I am here to help you!

03/19/07 p.m. Valentino was unforgettable. Thank you to those of you who came last night! The unspoken homework assignment is the term paper. We will go over your work on Wednesday. I have had it graded (and read three times) for some time now. Some are A work, and others still need work. Some have no parenthetical citations (no sourcework), some need a strong thesis and organization still, and some need their writing improved. We'll go over these on Wednesday, and you will also get your diagramming tests back.

03/18/07 a.m. Remember the talk Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at Callaway--featuring the What is the What's Valentino Achak Deng, thanks to Mr. John Kwist.

03/17/07 p.m. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the wonderful students in my English 1020 class! I hope you've had and are still having a wonderful spring break. Over the break, hey, I worked. I read and then read again and marked and then read again and graded your term paper work. If we have time on Monday, you'll get those back. We will work on those in class together until you are absolutely certain where you must go from here to earn an A on your term paper. If the diagramming test (announced in class on the Friday before spring break) takes the whole period on Monday, then I will hand out your graded writing assignments on Wedneday, and we'll go over them then. A friendly reminder: please remember that missing class on a Friday before a holiday is considered a double cut by Shorter College (please see your handbook for this rule). See you cool, smart, and wonderful students on Monday!

03/07/07 p.m. Class today was wonderful! Thank you for participating with such spirit in the diagramming contest! Next time, we will have hard-and-fast rules that will make the competition even more fun (if that is possible, as it was such a good learning experience today--for me, too)! Remember that your first two double-spaced pages of your term paper are due on Friday. You do not need to turn in your bibliography again on Friday, but you must turn it in as part of your final paper, of course. Thank you for your attention and hard work!

03/05/07 p.m. Remember the counts-10% assignment due Friday. Check below (again) for my office hours this week. Because I always promise to have your work graded quickly, in spite of being away all weekend, I have your grammar quizzes graded. A student worker looked them over, and then I looked them over. There were 50 possible points, and each counted 2 points. Overall, the results were very good, I could tell you studied hard, and this grade counts towards your class participation. Well done!

03/04/07. p.m. Thank you for your astute comments on the Grendel video. Remember that Old English is how English once sounded. Isn't that cool? My office hours this week are as follows. Owing to several scheduled afternoon meetings on-campus, I have re-configured my office hours. Please note the changes: Monday 3:00-4:30 (the usual). Wednesday (2:00-3:00). Friday (1:00-3:00). Remember to please (PLEASE) let me know if you're coming because often students set up "library appointments," which means that I go with the student to the library (sometimes even with them out to Berry's library), and I give research tip pointers. Thanks!

03/03/07. 9:20 p.m. A new assignment. Go to my blog. Listen to my latest video on Grendel! Then record your comment by Wednesday, 03/06/07. I want to know what you think of it. Please be thoughtful, and write at least three well-written sentences. Be specific. Thanks!

03/03/07. 8:00 a.m. Please notice the assignment on 02/27/07:

As part of your assignments, please go to my blog, and answer this question: "Have you done a research paper before?" If so, tell me how many and on what topics and in which grade (senior in high school, etc.). If you have not done a term paper before, tell me what you most don't understand about doing a term paper. Do this "comment" by this Friday morning at 9 a.m. That's by March 2nd, 2007. Also, please see your textbook, pages 371 and following, where (as I've mentioned in class before) a great discussion on term papers is found. In class I have mentioned this excellent resource on writing a term paper, and I want to reemphasize that you must turn to this source for help IN ADDITION TO the advice and tips and discussions on term papers and MLA citation that we are doing often in class.

Thank you to Andrea, Meagan, Nick (very droll humor!), Kasi, Kayla, Callie, Maygen, Westin, Autumn, Brandon, Josh, and Melissa who did that homework by the due date and provided me and the rest of the class with helpful information on term paper experience. Most everyone has written a term paper before--I'm happy to report. Nick outscores everyone for most term papers "suffered through." You will all receive a homework check for doing this assignment. Everything counts! Please go to my blog and see what your classmates said about term papers!

03/02/07. 11:30 p.m. Please continue working on your research paper. Remember those two pages are due on Friday. Remember they have been pushed back three times. Remember that I expect you to have done good research and that it will be obvious if you have (and also if you have not). There is no substitute for diligence and hard work. Your two pages will have many paragraphs. You will have an introductory paragraph, and then you will have many body paragraphs supporting your first main (supporting) point. Each body paragraph must have a cogent topic sentence and supporting examples.

I have stories from the Teaching Medieval Literature conference sponsored by some wonderful colleagues at Kennesaw State University and Georgia Perimeter College. It was awesome. I had dinner with a sword-fighter. No joke! I gave a twenty-minute paper on Hildegard.

02/28/07. Thank you all for another wonderful class today. Truly, talking about grammar is one of my favorite topics! Remember that Friday you are having a quiz on grammar, as reviewed for today. My tests do not contain surprises, so you know exactly what to study and how. For Monday, continue working on your term papers. Remember that the first two pages are due on March 9th, Friday next. Double-space! Your argument and examples for your first supporting point may require several paragraphs. For each one, you must have a cogent topic sentence, and each paragraph must be cohesive. It must also be full of good examples.

I have had many office conferences with students this week, and these have renewed my faith in your diligence as well as in your high intelligence. Please remember that when people think, we often feel stupid while doing it. That's because we're thinking through faulty ideas or analyses or organizations, etc. It takes real humility ("teachability") to think and to write, and the changes you're all making to your term papers are good. Just keep working so that you don't run out of time. I have given you all semester (from the VERY beginning) to work on your term papers. That means that the responsibility is on your shoulders for them. I am your coach, and I am here to help; but I can't stop you from procrastinating. So keep working hard. It does pay off. Also, do your best. You will never regret having given a project your all. Finally, I often remember one of my mother's favorite sayings: "Every tub sits on its own bottom." In other words, in life and in school, each person is ultimately only responsible for himself or herself. With God's help, all things are possible!

02/27/07. I hope you have all enjoyed and learned from the two after-hours study sessions. The first one lasted for 2.5 hours (6-8:30 p.m.), and the second 1.5 hours (6-7:30 p.m.), for an extra four hours of tutoring. I have enjoyed both of these sessions immensely, and I have learned much, thanks to your sharing your experiences with grammar and with term papers.

Thanks to the suggestions and ideas of students attending the second after-hours study session this evening in FSU (6-7:30 p.m.), I have decided that the term paper work due on Friday, March 9th, must be the first two pages of your term paper. Yes, that does include your introductory paragraph (revised, trimmed down, well-written, and finely organized). Be careful. Do not base your work on Internet sources alone. This kind of resource work weakens your paper, and the grade will be lower as a result. I don't want that, and neither do you. Go to Berry. Do the work. No substitute exists for basic, good research. And, yes, the two pages must be double-spaced, as usual. Remember that I grade on improvement, so take this as an opportunity to further revise your introductory paragraph. Notice that the new requirement is for two double-spaced pages.

As part of your assignments, please go to my blog, and answer this question: "Have you done a research paper before?" If so, tell me how many and on what topics and in which grade (senior in high school, etc.). If you have not done a term paper before, tell me what you most don't understand about doing a term paper. Do this "comment" by this Friday morning at 9 a.m. That's by March 2nd, 2007. Also, please see your textbook, pages 371 and following, where (as I've mentioned in class before) a great discussion on term papers is found. In class I have mentioned this excellent resource on writing a term paper, and I want to reemphasize that you must turn to this source for help IN ADDITION TO the advice and tips and discussions on term papers and MLA citation that we are doing often in class.

02/26/07. The semester's pace is picking up. It always does this time of year, as spring approaches, and isn't it wonderful to see! I'm so thankful for springtime. I met with many students today in my office, and here's what I decided as we discussed their term papers. In order to benefit your term papers and this next assignment in particular, I decided to move the date back one more time for the submission of your first body paragraphs (and this will be the last time, too). The old due date was March 5th; the new, final due date for your first body paragraphs is on Friday, March 9th, and no late papers will be accepted. A late paper will receive a zero. This is the Friday before spring break. Please remember that this assignment counts ten percent of your semester's average, and I want you to do well on it. So take these extra days, and go do research!

On Wednesday, 02/28/07, we will again review grammar, and with an eye to having a quiz on Friday over basic grammatical concepts like the eight parts of speech, simple diagramming, conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs, independent and dependent clauses, and the like. All of these concepts have been discussed multiple times on multiple days in class. This is why I always emphasize to you: "Take good notes." This quiz will contribute to your class participation grade, which is ten percent of your semester's average. Everything counts! So study grammar this week, take good notes in class, and work on your term paper.

On Wednesday after class, I need to see Melissa Kendrick and Callie Clark, please. Thanks!

02/24/07. I want to remind each of you as you work on your term papers over the weekend that you must have a mix of paper/Internet sources for the bibliography, and none of your sources can be an encyclopedia (not Encyclopedia Brittanica and not Wikipedia). Points will be deducted if these requirements are not met. As we have discussed in class many times, your thesis must be an opinion, and your paper must make an argument for or against a subject. Please put your thesis first so that you are more likely to form a cogent, sinewy thesis. Please see the article below from the New York Times about Wikipedia. Remember--Caveat emptor! Also, see earlier entries for upcoming due dates, please, and after-hours study session again in FSU! I'm here to help you--that's why I'm holding after-hours sessions and sending you to the Writing Center for great tutoring there!

A History Department Bans Citing Wikipedia as a Research Source
By NOAM COHEN
Published: February 21, 2007

When half a dozen students in Neil Waters’s Japanese history class at Middlebury College asserted on exams that the Jesuits supported the Shimabara Rebellion in 17th-century Japan, he knew something was wrong. The Jesuits were in “no position to aid a revolution,” he said; the few of them in Japan were in hiding. He figured out the problem soon enough. The obscure, though incorrect, information was from Wikipedia, the collaborative online encyclopedia, and the students had picked it up cramming for his exam. Dr. Waters and other professors in the history department had begun noticing about a year ago that students were citing Wikipedia as a source in their papers. When confronted, many would say that their high school teachers had allowed the practice. But the errors on the Japanese history test last semester were the last straw. At Dr. Waters’s urging, the Middlebury history department notified its students this month that Wikipedia could not be cited in papers or exams, and that students could not “point to Wikipedia or any similar source that may appear in the future to escape the consequences of errors.” With the move, Middlebury, in Vermont, jumped into a growing debate within journalism, the law and academia over what respect, if any, to give Wikipedia articles, written by hundreds of volunteers and subject to mistakes and sometimes deliberate falsehoods. Wikipedia itself has restricted the editing of some subjects, mostly because of repeated vandalism or disputes over what should be said. Although Middlebury’s history department has banned Wikipedia in citations, it has not banned its use. Don Wyatt, the chairman of the department, said a total ban on Wikipedia would have been impractical, not to mention close-minded, because Wikipedia is simply too handy to expect students never to consult it. At Middlebury, a discussion about the new policy is scheduled on campus on Monday, with speakers poised to defend and criticize using the site in research. Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia and chairman emeritus of its foundation, said of the Middlebury policy, “I don’t consider it as a negative thing at all.” He continued: “Basically, they are recommending exactly what we suggested — students shouldn’t be citing encyclopedias. I would hope they wouldn’t be citing Encyclopaedia Britannica, either. “If they had put out a statement not to read Wikipedia at all, I would be laughing. They might as well say don’t listen to rock ’n’ roll either.” Indeed, the English-language version of the site had an estimated 38 million users in the United States in December, and can be hard to avoid while on the Internet. Google searches on such diverse subjects as historical figures like Confucius and concepts like torture give the Wikipedia entry the first listing. In some colleges, it has become common for professors to assign students to create work that appears on Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia’s list of school and university projects, this spring the University of East Anglia in England and Oberlin College in Ohio will have students edit articles on topics being taught in courses on the Middle East and ancient Rome. In December 2005, a Columbia professor, Henry Smith, had the graduate students in his seminar create a Japanese bibliography project, posted on Wikipedia, to describe and analyze resources like libraries, reference books and newspapers. With 16 contributors, including the professor, the project comprises dozens of articles, including 13 on different Japanese dictionaries and encyclopedias. In evaluations after the class, the students said that creating an encyclopedia taught them discipline in writing and put them in contact with experts who improved their work and whom, in some cases, they were later able to interview. “Most were positive about the experience, especially the training in writing encyclopedia articles, which all of them came to realize is not an easy matter,” Professor Smith wrote in an e-mail message. “Many also retained their initial ambivalence about Wikipedia itself.” The discussion raised by the Middlebury policy has been covered by student newspapers at the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts, among others. The Middlebury Campus, the student weekly, included an opinion article last week by Chandler Koglmeier that accused the history department of introducing “the beginnings of censorship.” Other students call the move unnecessary. Keith Williams, a senior majoring in economics, said students “understand that Wikipedia is not a responsible source, that it hasn’t been thoroughly vetted.” Yet he said, “I personally use it all the time.” Jason Mittell, an assistant professor of American studies and film and media culture at Middlebury, said he planned to take the pro-Wikipedia side in the campus debate. “The message that is being sent is that ultimately they see it as a threat to traditional knowledge,” he said. “I see it as an opportunity. What does that mean for traditional scholarship? Does traditional scholarship lose value?” For his course “Media Technology and Cultural Change,” which began this month, Professor Mittell said he would require his students to create a Wikipedia entry as well as post a video on YouTube, create a podcast and produce a blog for the course. Another Middlebury professor, Thomas Beyer, of the Russian department, said, “I guess I am not terribly impressed by anyone citing an encyclopedia as a reference point, but I am not against using it as a starting point.” And yes, back at Wikipedia, the Jesuits are still credited as supporting the Shimabara Rebellion.

02/22/07. On Friday, we will have a special guest. Also, I have your grammar tests graded. I will turn these back to you, graded, on Monday, February 26th. The scores improved this time, and they are, as you know, counting 10% of your semester's average. The purpose of the grammar test (taken three times!) is to strengthen your ability to write. Improving your grammar improves your ability to think and to write; it improves your sentence sense (your ability to determine what a sentence is and how to write good, cogent sentences). That skill, in turn, improves your term paper, and, finally, improves your Junior English Exam performance. That's why I have emphasized learning grammar. Of course, these are basic concepts, but many of you have told me you haven't studied grammar since seventh grade; therefore, we are going to take a few days to thoroughly go over your grammar tests, until I feel satisfied that each person has had the basic facts brought before him or her. That grammar test review will take place next week. Also, many students have come to my office to go over their research papers and also grammar; I am thrilled that you have come to talk about these topics, and these in-office tutoring sessions as well as the after-hours tutoring session that I held in FSU on Tuesday for over two hours have convinced me that many of you have not yet done enough research to write a first paragraph of your term paper (which was originally due on 2-26). Although you have had plenty of time to work on these papers and especially on your first body paragraphs, I sense that many have not; therefore, I am going to push the due date back a few days. Pushing the due date back will also allow us to have an intensive grammar review, a process that will, in turn, strengthen your writing skills for the term paper and beyond. So the new due date for the first paragraph of your term paper (which does count 10% of your semester's average) is Monday, March 5th. Please mark that down in your calendars. No late body paragraphs will be accepted. From now on, that body paragraph and researching your term paper are your homework assignments, every night. You should also focus on revising your introductory paragraphs. And, Michael Callahan, Dr. Craig Allee would like to see you.

Remember the upcoming after-hours tutoring session on Tuesday, February 27th! It's from 6:00 until 7:30 p.m. in FSU. I will not be able to stay past 7:30 p.m. that evening, as I have another obligation at 7:45 p.m. and will have to hustle to get there. Thanks! I look forward to seeing you then. Bring questions!

I turned in your mid-term grades today. Those of you who have written and revised often, your writing's improvement and your grades reflect this hard work. I am very pleased with the improvement there. I am thrilled, actually! Many of you have written, have revised, have turned in your papers, and have come to my office to discuss them; then you have written them again and revised again. I have been astounded and mightily pleased with this revision work. I myself am so thankful for the grace of revision (yes, the "grace," or second chance of revision). If you would like to discuss your mid-term average, please see me after class one day, or come by. You may also make an appointment. Please remember that I grade on improvement!

02/20/07. The after-hours study session met tonight and even went overtime. It lasted two and a quarter hours--from 6:00 p.m. until 8:15 p.m., and it was such a success! I felt that we had a real conversation about grammar and about your grammar test re-take scheduled for tomorrow morning. We sat in the comfy chairs in FSU, and the study session rocked my world and made me so grateful to be your teacher! Thank you for coming to it, for being attentive, for asking such good questions, and for teaching me so much. It was awesome to sit with you in FSU and discuss grammar and comma splices and term papers and how to quote a source and also your future plans. YOU ROCK! Remember that your hard-working teacher will be holding a second after-hours study session next Tuesday, from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. again.

Tonight (Tuesday, 01/20/07) is the after-hours tutoring session given by your hard-working professor, Dr. Butcher. It's in FSU from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Thanks! I'll have to leave at 7:30 to get my kids in bed, so come early! See you tonight! (Please see the other notes below, to refresh your memory of upcoming deadlines. Thanks! I want you to do well!) Also, remember that your grammar test (counting 10% of your semester's average) is tomorrow (Wednesday, 01/21/07)! Best of luck! Come tonight to study with me for it!

02/19/07. On Tuesday evening (01/20/07), I will be on campus in FSU from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. I am making myself available during my off-hours in order to prep you for the third grammar test. So far, the grammar tests can be improved; therefore, I am giving you one more chance at doing well on this test that counts 10% of your semester's average. We have gone over grammar repeatedly in class, but we will continue to do so until the major points "click." To help with this "click," please study the pages as listed on your grammar test handout, which I have also given repeatedly in class. Thanks! Notice that I will also be on campus during my off-hours on Tuesday, February 27th, from 6:00 until 7:30 p.m. Why would a teacher/mother/wife/writer/person stay twice after hours to give you extra tuition? I want you to do well. I will say again--I grade on improvement. The only act that I cannot make happen is that you do your best. So far, many of you are doing your best. You are consistently doing the work assigned and doing it to your fullest potential; however, sadly, some of you are not performing up to your potential, and this lack of effort has shown in your grades. Please, take your God-given talents and exercise them. Do the work. Come in the evenings on 02/20/07 and on 02/27/07 for three extra hours of tuition. During the first, I will go over your grammar questions, and, during the second, I will go over your research paper questions.

Remember--your research paper bibliographies must be a mix of published-on-paper sources and also Internet sources. The Internet sources cannot be just a website. They must be a journal article, a newspaper article, an e-book, or some other form of legitimate resource online. We have discussed this matter in class, but I put it here again to make sure you remember.

Again, You are having one last re-take of the grammar test on Wednesday, 02/20/07. Start preparing now. It will count 10% of your semester's grade, and there will be no more re-takes of the grammar test. We have had two re-takes already, for a total of three grammar tests that I have been kind enough to grade and then dismiss in hopes that you will improve your scores on this third, last grammar test. The grammar test, please note, covers concepts that you should have reviewed and made sure you learned well in English 1010 last semester, but they are really basic concepts that a student covers in high school and before.

02/18/07. On Monday, 02/19/07, we will go over your intro paragraphs again, and I will point out what works in many and will mention what must be strengthened and what must be avoided (again). We have gone over this information before, but I will repeat it on Monday, in hopes that your term papers will be strengthened, too, and their grades improved. Keep working on your body paragraph number one for your term paper. See below. It will be turned in on Monday, February 26th, and it must be two pages long (double-spaced). It will count 10% of your semester's average. You are having one last re-take of the grammar test on Wednesday, 02/20/07. Start preparing now.

02/16/07 p.m. The next research paper assignment is that you write your first body paragraph and turn it in. This body paragraph must have a strong topic sentence and excellent details (examples). You must quote your sources properly (as we have discussed often in class). Remember that the first body paragraph of your research paper will include your first supporting point in the topic sentence, linked to your thesis. We will discuss this point further in class. This body paragraph will be due on Monday, February 26th, and it must be two pages long (double-spaced). It will count 10% of your semester's average.

On Tuesday, February 27th, I will be on campus from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. to have a study / writing session to go over your body paragraphs with you, and to answer any other questions you might have. You can come for the full one-and-a-half hours, or you can come for fifteen minutes. I cannot require that you come, but I highly recommend that you come for at least thirty minutes. I will meet all of you in the FSU that evening. I, of course, will be staying the full three hours of extra on-campus time. Why? I want to help you do your best in English 1020! Also remember that if I have suggested that you go to the Writing Center or the Academic Resources Center that you do not go at your own peril. Go. Get the tutoring that will strengthen your writing skills. We all want you to succeed, but you have to work hard and take advantage of opportunities offered you. Thanks!

02/15/07 p.m. The semester is humming along, and I'm proud of you all! I'm especially happy that many of you have come by my office to discuss your writing and your research papers. These many meetings have been very productive. Your next task is, of course, the grammar test tomorrow, which counts 10% of your semester's average. The next research paper assignment is that you write your first body paragraph and turn it in. This body paragraph must have a strong topic sentence and excellent details (examples). You must quote your sources properly (as we have discussed often in class). Remember that the first body paragraph of your research paper will include your first supporting point in the topic sentence, linked to your thesis. We will discuss this point further in class.

This body paragraph will be due on Monday, February 26th, and it must be two pages long (double-spaced). It will count 10% of your semester's average. On Tuesday, February 27th, I will be on campus from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. to have a study / writing session to go over your body paragraphs with you, and to answer any other questions you might have. You can come for the full one-and-a-half hours, or you can come for fifteen minutes. I cannot require that you come, but I highly recommend that you come for at least thirty minutes. I will meet all of you in the FSU that evening. I, of course, will be staying the full three hours of extra on-campus time. Why? I want to help you do your best in English 1020! Also remember that if I have suggested that you go to the Writing Center or the Academic Resources Center that you do not go at your own peril. Go. Get the tutoring that will strengthen your writing skills. We all want you to succeed, but you have to work hard and take advantage of opportunities offered you. Thanks!

Remember, too, how your grading matrix works. See below (this paragraph is taken from your syllabus, which is also online).

You will have ten grades. Each is weighted 10%. That means you must keep up daily with your work, or you will dig yourself into a hole that will be quite difficult to climb out of at a later date when time is short (and so is life). Two of these ten grades have already been discussed in-depth (class attendance and class participation). Three of these ten percent grades will be the term paper itself (it will count 30%). The other five grades will be tailored personally and specifically to your academic needs, and you will always know about them well in advance of their due dates. I tailor each class to your individual needs and to the needs of the class as a whole (because I know what the Junior English Exam looks like and what you need to learn to pass it with flying colors). Here is a possible list of five probable assignments, each of which will count ten percent towards your final semester’s average: first paragraph for term paper, revised first paragraph, term paper’s outline, bibliography, and the revised bibliography, but the list could also look like this: first paragraph for term paper, term paper’s outline, revised outline, bibliography, and term paper’s first developmental paragraph. Daily check my website for assignments and their due dates: www.carmenbutcher.com

Everything counts. Come to class. Don’t skip. Have an opinion, and be able to support it with details!

Remember also, please, that I grade on improvement; however, if you have a zero on an assignment or on a test, then your grades will be averaged, regardless.

02/14/07 p.m. Happy Valentine's Day! To make up for the office hours missed today owing to an all-afternoon meeting, I will be in my office tomorrow (Thursday) from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. One student is already signed up for the 10:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. slot, so please come from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Or make an appointment. I am ALWAYS open to an appointment! I am here to help you! I have read your introductory paragraphs three times and have graded them. They are much improved, generally, but some still need revision. Remember that I grade on IMPROVEMENT! Many of your introductory paragraphs show that you have not done enough research yet. Some of the introductory paragraphs need organization; they need two supporting points (or three supporting points). More research would often help you decide on your supporting points. Remember to put your thesis first. Many still have not done that. Many need to strengthen the thesis of the intro. On Friday you are having your grammar test that counts 10%. It is your fourth 10% test/writing assignment of the semester. Remember also that class attendance is 10%, and class participation is 10%. Remember that April 11th is the last day you can submit a re-write for a re-mark and a re-grade.

02/09/07 p.m. Fall holidays prevent me from seeing your scholarly selves on Monday or Tuesday, and I'll be out-of-town; so if you contact me, I will be out-of-orbit and unreachable. However, I will be back bright and shining on Wednesday a.m. Come by and see me, please! I'll also answer e-mails on Wednesday morning early. Do not Facebook me. I might not get it for weeks. If you want to make an appointment, e-mail me. Thanks!

I have e-mailed or Facebooked to you (when I didn't have an e-mail for you) the homework grades for your commenting on my blog on wikipedia. Let me know if you didn't get your grade, and I'll give it to you in class. Also, these count towards class participation. Everything counts! Attendance counts! Homework counts! Rewrites count! Everything! I WANT YOU TO SUCCEED!

Remember that on Wednesday your introductory paragraph rewrite is due (see below). It's worth 10% of your semester's grade. I'm giving you a chance to improve on your first attempt. Please do the RESEARCH necessary to improve your first paragraph. Many students have met with me in my office to discuss their rewrites, and my hat is off to you students for making the time to come by. For example, Brittany, my hat's off to you for meeting with me today! The entire semester I support you by giving you a chance to rewrite and improve your grade. Please take me up on this wonderful offer to learn to write more sinewy prose! Also on Wednesday, we'll continue going over your grammar tests. On Friday (02/16/07), we'll have another grammar test that counts 10% (again, the grade on the first grammar test has been nulled and voided owing to poor test results overall).

P.S. I have an off-campus meeting on Wednesday, 02/14/07, and therefore my office hours will be delayed. They may not start until 4:00, but they will end at the usual time. If you want to see me on Wednesday, please e-mail me a time during the day when I'm not teaching! Thanks!

02/07/07 p.m. On Friday (02/09/07), we will go over your grammar tests thoroughly. Come prepared to dig into grammar. I thought that these tests would simply be review, but I learned from grading them and analyzing the mistakes that we have much to cover together. Why take a grammar test? A grammar test tells me, first, whether or not you have a solid sentence sense; second, it tells me what weaknesses in grammar the class has as a whole. We will cover these in-depth. So come with your clearest minds and brainiest noggins on Friday! Thanks! Review the assignments below. Please turn in a very much improved version of the first paragraph of your term papers on Wednesday, February 14th, 2007. It will count 10% of your final semester's grade point average. Your intro paragraph (to repeat again) must have a strong thesis (opinion you will prove), as well as at least two strong supporting points. Whether or not you have changed your thesis, you are required to turn in this intro paragraph. Each student's intro paragraph can benefit from intelligent revision, so look on this as an opportunity (yet another opportunity, in fact) to improve your writing and therefore your grade. Remember; I grade on improvement. To the end of revising your intro paragraph well, see Little Brown, pages 7, 15, 17, and 28. As the semester advances, so, too, do I expect your skills and writing expertise to increase. Work hard, and the improvements will be noticeable. Go forth and conquer, scholars!

*An important note on revising: Last semester, I was hit with a flurry of last-minute "I've revised this paper, can you look at it and re-grade it, Dr. Butcher?" requests. To encourage you to revise TODAY and therefore learn more now that will help you on your final exam performance, I am establishing the following boundary on my acceptance of revised papers--the deadline of April 11th. If your revised work is not to me by April 11th, you must wait until finals day to turn in your revised pieces.

02/06/07 p.m. On Wednesday, 02/07/07, Dr. Butcher will be participating in a senior English major exit exam from 3:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. This exam will occupy my office hours. Please make an appointment for Wednesday if you want to see me, or drop by if you would like to work on the principle of catching me in my office. For Friday, please continue working on your research papers. I will have your grammar tests ready to hand back on Friday. Students who missed the grammar test (owing to ACTF or illness) will be given an entirely different grammar test. Please see me to set a time to make up the test. Setting a date for this make-up work is (as I'm sure you know) YOUR responsibility.

02/05/07 p.m. For Wednesday, remember to review for the editing test. It's Wednesday (02/07/07)! Your homework, your response to my blog on Wikipedia, due this morning at 9 a.m., has been graded on both content and writing style, and this class participation grade will be posted on your grammar test when it is handed back to you, graded. Overall, I was very pleased with your thoughtful comments--thanks for them! It counts towards your class participation grade (which is 10% of your semester's average). After conducting initial research, many students have changed their research papers topics, and for this reason and also to give you a chance to revise yet again (for many could benefit from revision), please turn in a very much improved version of the first paragraph of your term papers on Wednesday, February 14th, 2007. It will count 10% of your final semester's grade point average. Your intro paragraph (to repeat again) must have a strong thesis (opinion you will prove), as well as at least two strong supporting points.

Please remember this from your syllabus: You will have ten grades. Each is weighted 10%. That means you must keep up daily with your work, or you will dig yourself into a hole that will be quite difficult to climb out of at a later date when time is short (and so is life). Two of these ten grades have already been discussed in-depth (class attendance and class participation). Three of these ten percent grades will be the term paper itself (it will count 30%). The other five grades will be tailored personally and specifically to your academic needs, and you will always know about them well in advance of their due dates. I tailor each class to your individual needs and to the needs of the class as a whole (because I know what the Junior English Exam looks like and what you need to learn to pass it with flying colors). Here is a possible list of five probable assignments, each of which will count ten percent towards your final semester’s average: first paragraph for term paper, revised first paragraph, term paper’s outline, bibliography, and the revised bibliography, but the list could also look like this: first paragraph for term paper, term paper’s outline, revised outline, bibliography, and term paper’s first developmental paragraph. Daily check my website for assignments and their due dates: www.carmenbutcher.com. Everything counts. Come to class. Don’t skip. Have an opinion, and be able to support it with details!

02/02/07 a.m. For Monday, 02/05/07, your homework (which counts heavily towards class participation) is that you must go to my website and read my blog on "Why I’m Enthusiastic About Wikipedia," and you must then post a thoughtful comment that represents your response to the blog's content. Your "thoughtful comment" must be a well-developed paragraph. It must not be informally written. It must be written in standard college style, as often discussed in class (please do not use "you," and also do not use expletives, contractions, passive voice, and colloquial phrases). Also, spell correctly, and proofread to catch comma splices, fragments, subject-verb disagreements, run-on (or fused) sentences, and dangling modifiers. If you post a thoughtful response on my blog under that entry, then you receive full credit. The post must be there by Monday at 9:00 a.m. on 02/05/07, for it to count 100% towards your important and weighty class participation grade. Click on the "No Comments" or the "1 Comment" or "2 Comments" or "3 Comments" link under the entry. Also, remember to review grammar for your editing test on Wednesday, 02/07/07. The editing test merely covers everything that you will have/should have/must have learned about grammar in English 1010, but we will also re-cover these topics to make sure you are ready for the quiz on Wednesday! Remember that you are required to have five sources (at least) for your bibliography, and that they must be well-vetted, tried-and-true, excellent sources that have a direct bearing on your paper's topic. They must also be a true mix of Internet and paper sources. Thanks! You are all very smart, and I'm sure you will find wonderful sources. If you have trouble finding sources, please come see me during office hours, or by making an appointment, or by simply stopping by!

On dangling modifiers, it always helps to read your sentences out loud.

My friend saw a puppy on the way to school.

Was the puppy going to school? Revise it:

On the way to school, my friend saw a puppy.

Another example of a fine dangling modifier is as follows:

My mother put the cookies on the table that she had baked.

The mother baked a table?

My mother put the cookies that she had baked on the table.

01/31/07 p.m. I have read through your bibliographies three times! They are graded. Most are very, very good, and I am pleased. Some did not alphabetize their bibliographies. Some sent me to vague websites (yes, I checked every URL). Your online references must link to actual sources (articles) and not just to a website. Many online references did not include all of the information needed (see your Little Brown). Remember--these count 10% of your semester's grade. Do not underline titles; italicize them (she says again, for the 1,342nd time). Continue working on your research papers. Also, start brushing up on examples from your Little Brown of the following weaknesses in writing: fragments, dangling modifiers, comma splices, run-on ("fused") sentences, passive voice, expletives, and subject-verb disagreement. Next Wednesday, February 7th, 2007, you will be having your first editing test. It will consist of twenty sentences and/or non-sentences with these weaknesses; you must identify which sentences are correct and which are weak and why. Each will count four points, and the entire test counts 10% of your semester's grade. So start now! It's 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2007, and you are being given a week's heads-up on this upcoming test. Start studying tonight! We have already gone over dangling modifiers, passive voice, and expletives extensively in class. We will also review the other weaknesses. Come with questions. This editing test serves two purposes. It strengthens your writing for your all-important research paper, and it prepares you to write well for the Junior English Exam. Take it seriously! Study tonight! I imagine that you will all score 100%! See my website under "Handouts" and under "On Writing" to see past examples of editing tests.

01/29/07 p.m. Your bibliography (in correct MLA form) is due on Wednesday, (January 31, 2007). It counts ten percent (10%) of your total grade. Points will be deducted if your bibliography is not submitted in the right form (see style sheet instructions on this website under "Handouts" and then under "The Basics"--it's the second entry listed and looks like so: "Assignment Submission Guidelines) (MS Word Format)"). We have also gone over these stylistic rules in class several times. There's really no excuse not to know these basic style rules, and therefore points will be deducted if they are not followed. Remember to consult your Little Brown for information about MLA-style bibliographies.

Your on-going, standing assignment is that you keep working on your term papers. Other "heavy" assignments are not being made (please notice) so that you have plenty of time to work on your research papers. I expect you to take advantage of this gift of time. Thanks!

Thanks to the many students who have come by my office to chat about their research papers. Keep it up! I do nothing more important than talk with you and hear what you're thinking!

01/26/07 afternoon. Remember that your bibliography (in correct MLA form) is due on January 31, 2007, Wednesday. It counts ten percent (10%) of your total grade. Points will be deducted if your bibliography is not submitted in the right form (see style sheet instructions on this website under "Handouts" and then under "The Basics"--it's the second entry listed and looks like so: "Assignment Submission Guidelines) (MS Word Format)"). We have also gone over these stylistic rules in class several times. There's really no excuse not to know these basic style rules, and therefore points will be deducted if they are not followed. Remember to consult your Little Brown for information about MLA-style bibliographies. We've already gone over this formatting in class, but a person always needs a reference point. Be sure to have it out as you type up your bibliography. Referring to your text will increase the strength (and grade) of your bibliography! I want you to succeed! Come Monday with questions!

Also, two students have already found what happens if you click on my knight, and they even went so far as to start wondering how to take and to get excited about taking the Webquest. They get bragging rights for having taken this initiative! Your professor salutes you both!

01/24/07 p.m. Your bibliography is due on January 31, 2007, Wednesday. It counts ten percent (10%) of your total grade. Please see requirements for it below. Come to me with questions, or bring them to class, please! Continue to read down the list of poems, thanks!

Other guidelines for writing are as follows: Although books on writing underline titles of books (etc.) and although grammar texts do the same, please italicize instead. In the real world of publishing, the best presses italicize. No one underlines anymore. It went the way of the typewriter. Yes, a rogue British publisher or two might still underline, but most publishers these days eschew the underlining of titles, etc. Obviously, this point is a style issue, and no points are taken off for your underlining. Do not use “you.” Do not use “one.” Do use “I.” Do not use “It is . . .” “There is . . .” “There are . . .” “There would be . . .” “It might be . . .” 99 out of 100 times, these constructions are followed by weak sentences. Feel free to use these, but after you publish your first book. Until then, practice not using these expletives, please. A good example of the use of the em-dash: No one “right” way to write exists—each writer has her own style, her own voice. See this website for clarification on what the em-dash (versus the hyphen and the en-dash) is: http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/091502.htm

What are the most common editing symbols? I use them in editing your works, and so you must know what these are (I’m sure you know them already)! Click on this link for basic editing symbols. Or see my website, click on “Handouts,” and then click on “On Writing," and next click on "Basic Editing Symbols.” Voila! Simple! Now, about this “this.” Oh, my goodness! Could we please eschew all vague references? They are very annoying to your reader. Go again to my website, and click on “Links.” You’ll see these links:

What is a comma splice?
What is the correct way to indicate possession?
What is a dangling modifier?
What is a lack of parallelism?
What is passive voice?
What is a run-on or fused sentence?
What is a sentence fragment?
What is subject-verb agreement?
What is a vague pronoun reference?
What is wordiness?

Please click on “What is a vague pronoun reference” and learn what that phrase means! Thank you!

Examples of vague pronoun references:

For many years I thought all of the famous writers just poured out their beautiful words in one sitting, and, “Boom,” they’ve got a masterpiece. Lukeman explains that this is not true, which was very comforting to me.

Both “this” and “which” are vague references. Change to something like “Lukeman reveals the fallacies behind this notion, and his descriptions of the necessity of revision comforted me.”

Note how we in America do double quotations with periods and commas: .” and ,”—that’s so they won’t get wet when it rains onto the page you’re writing. Watch. If it rains on the standard use--.” or ,” no period or comma will get wet. But if it rains on ”. or ”, that period and that comma are both bound to get soaked. I started to say “soaked clean through,” but that would be adding two words I don’t need. “Soaked” works fine alone.

Here is an example of a dangling modifier:

After reading The First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman had me on the edge of my couch screaming, “I’m a writer!”

See? It sounds like Noah Lukeman was reading TFFP. Change this awkward syntax to “After reading Noah Lukeman’s The First Five Pages, I was on the edge of my couch screaming, ‘I’m a writer!’” Or “After I read The First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman had me on the edge of my couch screaming, ‘I’m a writer!’”

01/23/07 a.m. WARNING! Not reading the updates (daily updates!) on your professor's website can be hazardous to your grade's health!

ON THE BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE FOR YOUR RESEARCH PAPER: It must have five solid sources. Use your best judgment. You may also run them past me. DO NOT HAVE FIVE INTERNET SOURCES ONLY. Your five required sources must be a mix of print book and/or print magazines/journals and Internet sources. You must have at least THREE PRINT sources and TWO Internet sources. Points will be deducted for bibliographies that do not follow these guidelines and for those that do not follow MLA style. We discussed MLA style for bibliographies yesterday thoroughly in class, so you should be crystal clear on that point, and, remember, you may also consult the "little brown book."

01/22/07 p.m. I repeat: Your first paragraphs for your research papers are due on Wednesday, January 24th. These will count 10% of your semester's cumulative average. They must not be more than one-half a page long, and they must be (the usual) typed and double-spaced! Keep working hard! Remember--I grade on improvement! You are all very smart, or you wouldn't be in that English 1020 classroom. You can do it! See me (come by my office) anytime to ask questions, or ask them unabashedly in class! Many students have been coming by! Keep it up! Again, Nick Cooper, your paper is outside my door!

Also, please read on down the list of poems. Get a little ahead. I've asterisked the ones we've already discussed. Review the next three or so. Thanks! Dr. Butcher

* “The Golf Links,” 343.
* “One Art,” 498 (nominated twice at least!) Think—does this poem (read it!) say that losing things is not a disaster, or is there irony here? Hmmmm….
“To See a World in a Grain of Sand,” 394
“The Fish,” 380
“Jabberwocky,” 365 (covered somewhat today)
“We Real Cool,” 423
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” 523
“Home Is So Sad,” 528
“Pied Beauty,” 383 (What does “pied” mean? Better look it up!)
“The World Is Too Much with Us,” 482
“To the Stone-Cutters,” 524
“Godfather Death,” 8 (Woohoo! A story!)
“Ask Me,” 322
“This Is Just to Say,” 350
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” 334
“Hawk Roosting,” 333
“California Hills in August,” 516
“Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town,” 364
“Fire and Ice,” by a man named “Frost” (how ironic!), 373

01/21/07 p.m. Per Callie Clark's good question--we are using MLA-style parenthetical citation for our research papers, and be glad we do, as it's the simplest way! See the Links link for more information! Also see your textbook for examples!

01/19/07 p.m. Your first paragraphs for your research papers are due on Wednesday, January 24th. These must not be more than one-half a page long, and they must be (the usual) typed and double-spaced! Keep working hard! Remember--I grade on improvement! You are all very smart, or you wouldn't be in that English 1020 classroom. You can do it! See me (come by my office) anytime to ask questions, or ask them unabashedly in class! Thanks! Dr. Butcher

Dr. Butcher's comments on your thesis homework assignment (turned in on 01/17/07):

I have read each thesis, three times. I have many golden things to say about them, and some recommendations also. First, many of you really worked hard on this assignment, and it showed. There were several A's. These A's had many qualities in common. Each had a real thesis. Here are some definitions of "thesis":

a) A thesis is an unproved statement put forward as a premise in an argument.
b) A thesis (literally: 'position' from the Greek θέσις) is an intellectual proposition. ----In academia, a thesis or dissertation is a document that presents the author's research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature for a degree or professional qualification.
c) The basic argument advanced by a speaker or writer who then attempts to prove it; the subject or major argument of a speech or composition.
csmp.ucop.edu/crlp/resources/glossary.html
d) A thesis is a written paper elaborating on original research, arguing a specific view. Theses are often written for the completion of an academic degree, usually the Master's degree.
e) An attitude or position on a problem taken by a writer or speaker with the purpose of proving or supporting it.

Second, you turned them in following the style sheet I discussed in class and which is given on your syllabus and on my website in several spots.

Third, you wrote well, and you made each word count.

Here are a few recommendations I have for those papers / theses that did not measure up on the first attempt. First, your thesis must be the point you will prove in your research paper. Saying that "Chaucer is a great poet" really won't make for a strong research paper. It's way too obvious a fact (and is kind of boring, since it's no kind of an argument), and, also, it's way too huge of a topic! Some students did not type their homework, some wrote more than one sentence, and some did not double-space. Please become well-acquainted with my website. Thanks! Do not use "It is," "There is," or "There are." These expletives make for weak writing. Also, work on writing concisely.

Remember, I grade on improvement. Work on improving. Go to the fabulous Writing Center. Come see me with questions, or ask them in class. Revise! Revise! Revise! Your writing will improve, and your grade will reflect that improvement.

01/17/07. Thanks for turning in your theses today! I look forward to reading them three times. Those of you who have had me before know that I read each assignment three times. The first time I read purely for pleasure and to get the gist of your argument. The second time I read your work, I mark it in purple, blue, green, orange, or fuchsia pen. I try to avoid red and will only use it at the end of the semester when my eyes are a tad tired. Red is bright and shows up so well then. The third time I read your work, I grade it afterwards (also mark anything else I see that deserves to be marked). Therefore, perhaps you should revise your work at least three times, to match the times it will be read!

For Friday, read "The Golf Links" (343) and "One Art" (498). Look up "irony." What is irony? Come to class with examples from literature and/or from contemporary art and/or from your life!

See the "Extra Credit" link for your class to discover updates there for Sunday's TOY party! Remember, this Sunday from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. at High Acres on campus is the Teacher of the Year party thrown by my friends and colleagues in honor of the Carnegie Foundation Teacher of the Year award. You get extra credit for attending, and more! Check it out!

01/12/07. Be sure to get your books. The Backpack book is your text, and the other is your reference book; both are indispensable and required!

Thanks for an invigorating round of poetry/story suggestions today! Awesome work! Before I give you the list of those, please note assignments for Wednesday, January 17th:

Write a juicy, sinewy thesis for your term paper. Make this thesis one sentence long. Type it. Double-space it (yes!). Give your thesis much thought. The more time you put into your thesis—the better your research paper. I promise! Hone your topic to a suitable size. You want it neither too big nor too large, but, like Goldlilocks, you want it “just right.” You will turn these in on Wednesday. This assignment will count as part of your class participation grade. EVERYTHING COUNTS. Your first assignment that will count ten percent to of your grade will be announced before too long—you will be required to turn in the first paragraph of your research paper, so start preparing now. Do preliminary research as soon as you can, please.

Read over your syllabus one more time. Come with questions on it. Okay? We will finish going over those on Wednesday when all students are present and accounted for.

Here’s what you suggested we read together, and we will, as follows:

“The Golf Links,” 343.
“One Art,” 498 (nominated twice at least!) Think—does this poem (read it!) say that losing things is not a disaster, or is there irony here? Hmmmm….
“To See a World in a Grain of Sand,” 394
“The Fish,” 380
“Jabberwocky,” 365 (covered somewhat today)
“We Real Cool,” 423
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” 523
“Home Is So Sad,” 528
“Pied Beauty,” 383 (What does “pied” mean? Better look it up!)
“The World Is Too Much with Us,” 482
“To the Stone-Cutters,” 524
“Godfather Death,” 8 (Woohoo! A story!)
“Ask Me,” 322
“This Is Just to Say,” 350
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” 334
“Hawk Roosting,” 333
“California Hills in August,” 516
“Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town,” 364
“Fire and Ice,” by a man named “Frost” (how ironic!), 373

01/10/07. Thank you for waving at me today! Special thanks to Melissa, who waved at me earliest, as I approached the mailroom window! That was an awesome start to my Wednesday! I also thoroughly enjoyed the stories today, from peppermint french fries to hula hoops to other gravity slips to dented car roofs and reesees peesees--it was a great day! For assignments--again, please see 01/08/07: Flip through the Backpack book. Pick a short story or a poem for us to read as a class, and be prepared to explain (in class) why you want us to read it. Writing nothing down to turn in (this time), but do have an agenda in your mind; be prepared mentally with what you will say. Be brief! I want only two or three sentences in support of your choice. Brevity is the soul of wit and also of intelligence. Lonnie told me his choice after class, and it rocks! On Friday, we will do these first thing, so please be prepared. Also bring any questions about the syllabus.

01/08/07. Go over your syllabus. Remember, if you lose the one you were given in class today, you can always access one online here at www.carmenbutcher.com. Come ready to ask questions about the syllabus. The syllabus is your "playbook" and "rule book" all in one. It tells you what you need to do and accomplish in order to succeed in this class. I'm sure you can do it. You are all very smart.

Buy the two required books. Flip through the Backpack book. Pick a short story or a poem for us to read as a class, and be prepared to explain (in class) why you want us to read it. Writing nothing down to turn in (this time), but do have an agenda in your mind; be prepared mentally with what you will say. Be brief! I want only two or three sentences in support of your choice. Brevity is the soul of wit and also of intelligence.

On Wednesday, January 10th, please wave at me as I enter the classroom, to show me that you have read this assignments page! Thanks!

01/03/07. Review online the syllabus for your course with Dr. Butcher. Note the required texts. Buy your books and start reading them.

11/25/06. Assignment 1 for ALL students in Dr. Butcher's Spring 2007 classes. Familiarize yourself with this entire website, link by link, photo by photo, handout by handout, blog by blog.