Today we covered a lot in a short time. I noticed a typo in the syllabus. I say, "Students are to attend a literacy event," when what I meant to write is a "literary event." We talked about Ise Lyfe's Pistols and Prayers as a possible field trip. It is at a new theatre space in downtown Oakland; I think 408 14th Street, Friday-Sundays, through July 17, 2011. More later.
Many students are completing university requirements for their undergraduate degrees. This is exciting. Good luck! Only one student missed the entire class and another student was absent. I gave students my mobile phone number. Students let me know if the information on their registration forms re: phone number and email address are correct.
You do not have to email me contact information if I have it already. I think you have a couple of days to drop the course. I don't take anything personally, so if this is not the time or the teacher or the campus for you--be well and so long (smile).
Recap
We completed Homework Assignment 1 & 2 (in the syllabus) combined with an assignment here. If students didn't finish, they were instructed to email it to themselves to post later. Make sure you always post your assignments where instructed. If you ever have trouble posting, email the assignment to me by the due date and we can address the problem in class. Always save a copy in your own email account and on your flash drive (do both).
Fiction
We looked at fiction --Someone said, "It's fake" not factual (smile), as a genre of literature. Even though fiction might be imaginative or not real, in that it didn't happen, it could have happened-- that's why it works for us as a story.
Some fiction is also historic, in that, the events or the time the story takes place is based on a true account. This is true in the first story we are reading. Linda LeGarde Grover's The Dance Boots evokes themes about Indigenous people's lives which are entirely plausible.
In small groups, students read aloud the title story and discussed its themes, point of view (first, second, third), narrator(s) (reliable vs. unreliable), (limited view vs. all knowing or omniscient -- like god (smile).
Students identified the protagonist (main character) and/or the antagonist (minor character), plot --what happens in the story or the point of the story, not to be confused with themes or reoccurring ideas, symbolism, style-tone, language.
We only got to page 9 or 10, which means homework is to read the rest of the story. Students were also given two chapters from The Portable Literature Guide to read. It is a refresher.
Homework con't.
I gave students: "Three Seasons," the next story from The Dance Boots,to read.
Cyber-Homework Assignment for June 20, 2011. Due June 20, 2011
Please post a response to the process for day 1. How did the class go for you?
Talk about your literature discussion group and what you discovered about the story and about yourself as a reader.
Respond to at least two other posts. The comments can be short: 50-100 words. You can respond to two students with the students named in one post.
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22 comments:
Ricardo A. Chavarria
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 June 2011
I think todays class went really well although there were a few moments I got confused. It was not very clear to me what the homework was so I asked after class. Everything was going at a fast pace for me since I had not taken a summer course in a while, I hope to get used to the pace of the class fairly quickly. For the literary event I want to go on the field trip to Ise Lyfe’s Pistols and Prayers. I think going on the field trip with the professor will help me take better notes and discuss the event with someone. The reading in this class is definitely more than my English 1A class but if I enjoy the reading it will become easier.
During the discussion with my group we identified the characters of the story, the plot, and major themes of the story. The main character was Artense, a Native American mother who goes through some struggles to improve her education. We also spoke about Artense’s discussions with her aunt Shirley. Aunt Shirley spoke about the strength of their family and how they persevered because they were strong. The major themes we got out of the reading so far was the strength of the family and how education can define people.
Thanks Ricardo for your response and questions earlier. Though I agree that education is a major theme in the story, I'd be interested in what you think once you complete it. I thought one's history is important is a major or the major theme, how one has to keep telling one's story over and over again, so one never forgets. A contrast is the way American history --the history professor to be exact, recalls the protagonist's history incorrectly--blaming the victim almost.
Her place as an expert, since her ancestors lived the story, is ignored. There is no space for her truth.
Well got to run. My birthday party is starting without me (smile). Let's pick this up in the morning.
WS
Jeffrey To
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 June 2011
Today’s class was really overwhelming. It felt like the class covered so much in such little time. There was a lot of information to consume. The class was going really fast. It is also expected from a summer class compared to a 16 week semester class. The idea of a field trip sounds very exciting. It is also the only theater event I can think of. I remember in English 1A we talked about an end of the semester party but it never happened. The class was very good. It went by so fast. I think il get use to it.
The literature discussion group was good. At first my group was very lost and did not know what to do. We could not decide who should start off and such. I decided to read the first paragraph and start the group off first. My group read about 6 pages of the reading. As a group we learned to help each other out and help each other understand what the reading was about. I think my entire group could not come to an agreement of some answers like the theme, plot and setting. The story is about an Indian girl name Artense. She is struggling from racism in her junior college. As a reader I learned I had to read the story more than 1 time to understand it.
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6 June 2011
Today’s class went well. I was just a little bit confused on how to turn-in the homework and what was the actual homework due tomorrow. Other than that, this class is pretty interesting. Also, it was great to meet so many new people. The class went by really fast and I think that is a good thing.
In our group, we were able to find that the main character, Artense, was also the narrator of the story. From her point of view, we learned the story of her ancestors living in miserable conditions and being brain-washed by the Americans. We also deduced that the “dance boots” were a symbol of her roots and family. In addition to that, we noticed that this short story was really descriptive and detailed.
Branson Phu
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
20 June 2011
Class today was very interesting, it is not everyday that you have an English class in front of computers in a computer lab. Judging from the fact that we are already starting to enter the English 1B mojo, I can tell that there are so much things to know about writing, fiction, and what makes English 1B what it is.
In our discussion group, some ideas about the timeframe of the story was interesting, because these boarding schools where the protagonist's family had entered as children had mistreated them even though it was the twentieth century. And what was even more surprising is that in easily, we know about the conflict with the women rights, but what about this issue with Indians and the related conflicts at the time? As we were discussing in groups, as a reader, I am good at comprehending at what is being said, but not what is being meant. As an example, during the group discussion, I saw the dance boots as something that was given to her, but I realized that it was something that said the protagonist wanted to change for the better, rather than living her hectic lifestyle.
Trang Tran
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 June 2011
I think today’s class went pretty well. I was a bit confused with what the homework but checking the blog was helpful because it recap and had what the homework assignment laid out and where to turn-in the homework. So other than that, I am looking forward to the interesting stuff that we will do in this class.
In the discussion with my group we also identified the protagonist, the setting, plot, and major theme(s) of the story. We pointed out who is our main character but also the relationship between Artense and her Aunt Shirley. We couldn’t decide the major themes of the reading but we stumble upon the theme of her ancestors living the difficult lifestyle and hearing the story of her roots, it keeps the history alive.
Branson Phu
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
20 June 2011
That is very true Alex L. Not only was the thought of the mistreating of the protagonist's family as children surprising during that time, it was also a way to force them into the American society and forget there past and culture. The part about the dance boots relating to culture is very true as well, because even if it was explained barely, the boots represents the culture behind it and foreshadows that it will be in the main character hands eventually.
Branson Phu
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
20 June 2011
That is something interesting Jeffrey T. Even though it seems like everything against race has been resolved, there are still some racism out there that has not been addressed, such as the boarding school incident and the junior college incident as well. This will allow the reader to feel what her family felt in the past and really understand the incidents and situations which lead to who not only who she is, but also who her family are.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 June 2011
The first day of the class went well. I liked my discussion group because it helped me understand the story in-depth. We noticed that this is a story about Native American community, Ojibwe. In this story, aunt (Shirley) is passing on history of Ojibwe’s struggle to keep their tradition and indigenous culture to her niece (Artense) to keep their culture alive. Her stories talked about the hardship their ancestors faced in Indian Boarding Schools. We discovered that in Artense’s college history class, it was conveyed that the Native Indians spread the Venereal Disease to the explorers of the United States, which was a bit shocking for us. In addition, it was noticed that Artense had extended family and she was dealing with alcoholism and bitter relationship with her husband.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 June 2011
I agree with you Alex Lam that the piece of the story we read in class was very detailed. It had a lot of information to be grasped, but with the help of my group, I was able to learn some detailed information that I would not understand otherwise. I think that the boarding schools were one of the ways to break the indigenous culture of Ojibwe through the education of its young. Also, I think “dance boots” signify the culture and tradition, which needs to be passed on to the next generations to keep it alive.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 June 2011
I agree with you Ricardo A. Chavarria that in this story, Aunt Shirley emphasized on the personal strength and the strength of a family which helped their ancestors to move successfully through the tough times. I think when faced with daily life challenges, in lack of social support, it is hard to move on and easy to get disheartened, but when there is adequate support and motivation available it is easy to pull through any situation in life. I think that aunt Sherley’s stories provided motivation for Artense to get courage to change her life style and to pursue education to improve her life.
Joanna Louie
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
20 June 2011
Cyber-Homework Assignment for June 20, 2011
Day One was exactly how I expected it to be. Well not exactly, but pretty close. I remember just the other day I was talking to some friends of my friends about taking summer courses. One of my friends mentioned how everyone at their school love and prefer to take summer courses as opposed to taking them during the regular school year because the class is “easier”. He claimed that the professors at that school know the students do not want to do a lot of work, and make the course in fact “easier”. I strongly disagree with my friend’s claim.
Today went well. I was surprised to walk into a computer lab, but now I understand why – we will be referring to an online blog and writing weekly essays in class.
I enjoyed the literature discussion groups. Breaking the class down into small groups of about four students creates a good working environment for learning. We were able to share the reading, discuss our personal opinions about the text, as well as, analyze the text. As a group, we began to think of gender and equality in the text and possible internal conflicts between characters. As we only read to page nine of the text, much more development of our discussion will take place tomorrow.
Working in small groups helps me as an individual because I am a shy student. I get scared when I am asked to read in front of an entire class and often find myself too shy to participate in open discussions.
Joanna Louie
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
20 June 2011
Cyber-Homework Assignment for June 20, 2011 -- response to posts --
I would have to agree with what Ricardo A. Chavarria mentioned in his post -– it was a little difficult to understand at first what the homework was for tonight. For me, I just needed a little more time to understand how the blog system worked and how Professor Wanda Sabir would relay the information to us. So far I like the webiste/blog she uses because all of the information can be found in one single place. I also like how each student is required to blog and respond to other posts because it forces us to read what other students are thinking and it gets us thinking as well!
My next comment goes to Jeffrey To –- Be prepared, the next six weeks will go by so fast, you will not know where time has gone! This will be my third summer course I have taken, and I promise, you will soon get the hang of it. The trick is to make the syllabus your best friend. Get familiar with the syllabus and make sure you stay on top of the material she assigns and do not procrastinate or miss class. I know during a 16-week semester class, students tend to miss one or two lectures. However, you cannot afford to miss a class this summer. With one class missed, you will feel like you missed a whole week. Just try not to stress, and just remember your priorities. GOOD LUCK!
Sharron Dawkins
Professor Sabir
English 1B
20June2011
Today’s class was interesting. I felt a little overwhelmed, and that may have been because there was so much information that was covered as to what the expectation of the class was. I think as I become more comfortable with the flow I’ll be able to enjoy it.
Working in groups is always fun when there is full participation. I found the story to be engaging; the struggle of a family passing on tradition in the midst’s chaos and overcoming struggles. What I didn’t enjoy, was having to read aloud. Reading aloud had always been a challenge for me because I comprehend better in silent reading. I think I get distract by the idea that I have to read for others to follow; somehow it makes it hard to focus on what I’m reading; anyway that’s a minor obstacle. The literature we’ll be covering in the class looks to be interesting reading. I think I’ll enjoy it.
Ramel George Jr.
Professor Sabir
ENGL 1B
I think class went pretty well today, but it was a bit too much. It seems like we tried to cram too much into one class. Since it's only a 6 week course I did expect for it to be somewhat hectic on the first day and it will probably slow down in the future days. The posting of our assignments on the blog will also take some getting used to.
In my group today, we read about how American Indian children were taken and put into boarding schools. While the story did not go into much detail on exactly what happened, some of my group members knew some of the general things that happened to these children from watching documentaries on it, which helped to understand why it is so painful for the characters. we also noticed that when Artense is told the wrong information about how the diseases were transfered, it was as recent as the 1970s or 1980s, which surprised us.
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
June 21st, 2011
I do agree with you, Ms. Sharron Dawkins, that reading out loud is not a great idea for everyone. I can only understand a story by reading it to myself in silence. It was really hard for me keep up with everyone and I had to read it multiple time to comprehend the meaning of it. However, I believe that with some practice, I will get used to it.
To Shipra Pathak: I am myself confused with the Indians spreading the Venereal Disease to the Europeans. I thought the explorers brought all the diseases with them to the Americas, killing most of the Native Americans.
Michelle Kith
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
6/21/2011
Homework Assignment 2
I really think today’s lecture was helpful. I’m very surprised, and quite happy to know that you’ve made the extra effort to make copies of the texts for us. That definitely takes away some anxiety for me, since books are very expensive. Secondly, I have never attempted to read one book a week; this is very intense. I hope that I’ll have the tools and skills necessary to comprehend the whole book, since the course is very fast pace. The curriculum of this course is very impressive, and diverse in terms of different genres of literature, as well as a required attendence of visual arts. At first glance, I must admit that I was a little intimitaded, but later realized that I needed to relax, and just jump in! I’m use to the usual boring English courses where I must read 4 books, and write 3 essays during the semester. I’m happy that you’re incorporating poems, dance, music, and visual arts. I agree and understand the terms on the syllubus. Also, I hope to improve my reading and writing skills, and to develop new interest in visual arts, and poetry.
Michelle Kith
Professor Wanda Sabir
6/21/2011
Group Discussion 1
I enjoyed the group’s discussion today. We read The Dance Boots, and critically discussed what happened in the first chapter. As a group it was helpful because some parts of the text were a bit confusing. Working together helped clarify who some of the characters are. It also gave us an overview of their personal background, giving us some clue as to where the protagonist, Artense, is coming from, as she tells her story, from a first person narrative. We quickly discovered that Shirley is her aunt, who is an alcoholic, and eventually died from cancer. She “chose” Artense, to tell her past family stories, their experiences, struggles, racism, and poor education. However, through all of their family struggles, Shirley mentions the word strength several times. By the time Shirley gets to one of her last stories, Artense makes a huge accomplishment, and is already in graduate school, when in the beginning of Shirley's story telling, she was in a community college. Also, Artense seems to come from a family with a history of alcoholics, and poor education.
Rebecca Ramos
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 June 2011
I think the first day of class went well. We went over the syllabus very well and even got to comment on it on Professor Sabir’s blog. I also learned what the professor expected from us through out the course. In my group we were able to get through half of the text and we got a glimpse of Artense and her story. At first the story was a bit confusing because it wasn’t until the second page that you found out who the narrator was. After that you got a sense of her background and her relationship with her aunt. Not until the end of the story did the dancing boots make sense. Her aunt Shirley gave her the boots to wear when she danced. It was a nice story but it started off a little confusing but the author tied everything in at the end.
Eric Selle
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
21 June 2011
I am the oldest of four kids, was born in Kentucky, and hablo un poco español. Right now I'm digging the long summer days and homemade cheeseburgers. I like to swim in temperate natural bodies of water, preferably with friends, and usually not for sport or exercise.
An initial impression from the first day is that there will be more writing than I expected, more frequently, and done at a shorter clip. That's okay, though; I can handle it but it's sure to give a swift kick to the backside, which is sometimes a good thing. Not to mention I like being able to efficiently take care of business during these short summer sessions. However, I'm concerned that I'll miss an assignment tucked away in some blog cranny, because already we've had two or three (depending on how you count), and it seems that they're found all over the place. For instance, suppose I didn't see the instruction to reply to two students' comments, which were posted hours after class finished – where would that put me? I'd like to see a more straightforward assignment list, but will adapt.
Reading in a group is always tricky. None of us read with great elocution, which isn't that big of a deal. But personally, especially if it's fiction, I rarely comprehend as much when reading aloud in a group as I do quietly to myself. The discussion was awkward but nice, and I'll have to re-read those portions at home, which I don't mind. As the semester continues I'm sure we'll get the hang of it.
Satima Flaherty
Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 June 2011
The Dance Boots
Our group was unsure about the woman’s age at first but we knew she was an older woman because she was raised in the 50s and 60s. She talked about the struggles she went through as a little Indian girl growing up in racist society. We said that she’s educated and confused, we noticed that their the family has internal pain from the past. Her aunt Shirley is a prominent figure in her family, she knew their family history. She kept trying to instill in her niece that they are strong people.
Dwan Mays
Dr. Sabir
English 1B
21 June 2011
The first day of class was good. It was pretty intense because I haven’t taken a English course in over four years. I was a little overwhelmed. The group activity was engaging everyone had something to bring to the table. As we begin to dissect the story I immediately begin to feel this sense of sorrow and pain for the native Americans. I begin to look at my own views of native Americans and how I often look at them as a history story not actually as a active and living race.
I enjoyed hearing everyone’s views on the chapter and how they interpertated the story. As I read the story I instantly begin to put the pieces together in regards to the theme of the story. I begin to get a picture of the people and how the story was going to end. It taught me something about myself that I thought I had lost and that was the ability to comprehend a story and look deeper into the meaning of the story.
I too felt like Ricardo and Jeffrey I was not clear on what the homework was at first because I was kind of all over the place. I too felt a little overwhelmed in the beginning but as I begin to get myself together I realized what the homework was and that it was only the first day and I had time to get myself organized.
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