Essay Notes

1. Helps place you into the correct classes.
2. Its equal to everyone - everyone gets the same test, graded in the same way.
3. Helps students retain their knowledge.
• What if a test doesn't reflect what you've been taught?
4. Indicates what students know, as well as indicates how well the teacher is teaching them.
5. Comparison among students, schools, and teachers.
• It compares student performance on a specific day, but not how students grow throughout the whole year.
• Tests are too narrow, not enough time spent on each subject on the standardized tests.

Are reading, math, and writing the only subjects a student should know?

Think about someone who just got out of math class yesterday, and someone who got out two years ago then have to take the test the next day? its obvious that the person who is in math is going to get a higher grade because memory is a big issue when it comes to math solving.

STRUCTURE!

Intro

Thesis-Argument (for or against)

As paragraph develops give reasons for your argument; reason 1, 2 ,3 4? (supporting details)

Paragraphs for each reason

Conclusion

What are two most convincing reasons to have Standardized tests?

1.) Is equal to all students, everyone gets the same test, graded in the same way.
2.) It is not only an indication of students knowledge, but also an indicator of how well the teacher is teaching what they are supposed to.

Pros & Cons of Standardized Tests

Pros:

1.  Equal for all students
2. Students think they are more fair
3. Accurate Comparison between students around the world
4. Easy/Fast Grading
5. Shows teachers teaching performance.
6. Keeps track of your progress to date
7. Knowledge indicator.

Cons:

1. Unreliable measure of student performance
2. Only measures a small portion of what you learn
3. Some questions are things you have never learned. (personal experiences)

Standarized Tests

Standarized tests are a type of test which "determines" how smart you are, and how well you are learning something. Everyone has taken some sort of standarized test in their lifetime. Any test that is given the same way to all test takers is considered a standardized test. With these kind of tests they are all the same. It cannot be considered a standardized test, if test takers have different ersions of the test or even completely different, it is not a standardized test. I have taken many of these tests over my 13 years in school. I have taken standardized tests since the third grade. Even though the major ones start taking place in about fourth grade. One of the big standardized tests that I have had to take is the W.A.S.L. This is the Washington Assesment of Student Learning. The first time I took this test it was in the fourth grade. This is a test that determines where you're at, and in high school it used to determine whether or not you would graduate. But now the schools have a new standarized test that is very similar to the W.A.S.L.

2 Discourse Paragraphs

Nursing is a long term goal for me, I want to get all the best schooling possible, and make my way up with the top nurses. But first; there is personal things you have to learn about nursing. Some of those things are the language of nursing, they way to act, and the beliefs of a nursing community. There is a certain way to act when you are a nurse or any kind of person in the medical field because you can deal with very fragile people. You are dealing with patients, and their life is in your hands the moment they walk into the hospital. You never know if someone is very sensitive or not so you always have to act in a kind soft way. Depending on the situation, a lot of the times nurses are closer to the patient then the doctor is. You are the one that they first see and talk to, and sometimes even the last. Nurses have a very important job in the society. 

Following what I said earlier, I want everyone to know the importance of nurses in our community. Being a nurse can mean many things, and you play a big role in your patients medical life. Everyone thinks doctors are the most important but that's not true.Nurses are the intermediaries between their patients and the patients family; if something happens to the patient you are the one to report it to the family. Things may come to a very personal level depending on the situation. Being a nurse means you are the one to monitor the patient before he or she sees the doctor. You check to make sure everything is working okay. Doctors are the ones who initially find out what is wrong with you, and then they tell the nurse if you need any prescriptions  But the nurse is the one who gets them for you, and fills out the appropriate papers for you. There are many important jobs of being a nurse, and I just named a few.

Homework 2/7

1.    If you were to focus on one of your discourses on your discourse mind map in an essay, which would you choose? Why? What makes it the most interesting?

As a future career nursing has always been a big priority to me. Nursing has many different parts to it, but the most important thing about nursing is that you get to help other people. Nurses are always the first person to help a patient and get to know them, I want to be that person.  If there is ever an opprutunity in a life time, this is mine.

2.    When did you first become interested in the discourse? What are your first memories from it? If you’re not in the discourse yet, what do you expect your first experiences to be like?

Ever since I was little all I could think about was wanting to help people. Mostly kids. So I’m thinking about going into pediatric nursing. I expect my first memories to be hard but memorable; I want to have relationships with my patients. I’m not expecting any of this to be easy but I’m in for the long ride, and am going to work my way up. Pediatric nursing is a great experience for people who like helping children medically.

3.    How did you acquire the discourse? Was it all acquisition? Was there any learning?

I haven’t learned much about this discourse yet, because I am still taking prerequisite classes. I am going to be doing a few job shadows of nurses around town to see exactly which kind I want to be. So far the information that I have learned is just being acquired it’s what I’ve seen other people doing. Nursing is a very difficult job.

4.    What are specific examples of the language that is used in the discourse?

Speaking kindly to others

            Using kind facial expressions

5.    What are specific examples of when certain behaviors/actions are used in the discourse?

Caring for people

Administers Medication

Supervises medical equipment

Intermediary between patients and their family

6.    How literate are you in the discourse? Have you achieved mastery?

I am not literate in this discourse at all, and no I have not achieved mastery. I still have to go through school to acquire mastery. Once I get my associates degree and my master’s degree, I will be on my way to success. Nursing takes a lot of hard work and effort.

Run-On Expository Paragraphs

1. Students should feel lucky to attend Green River Community College, it has a lot wonderful opportunities to explore nature.

Corrected Run-On in Paragraph:

Students should feel lucky to attend Green River Community College; it has a lot of wonderful opportunities to explore nature. When walking around Green River beautiful cedar trees and forestry are seen everywhere. There are many trails from building to building. Without trees you would not have fresh air, which helps students have better health. Therefore the clean environment leads to an optimal study environment for students, impacting them in positive ways that other campuses cannot provide.

2. College textbooks are priced way too high, students find them to be a financial burden.

Corrected Run-On in Paragraph:

College textbooks are priced way too high; students find them to be a financial burden. Normally at books stores, non-school related books are maybe thirty dollars at the most; but when you buy a school related book they can be hundreds of dollars. I have financial aid and can barely afford school then I had to buy three hundred dollars’ worth of books out of pocket money? Buying books for school can put financial stress on a lot of students.

3.       GRCC is a diverse school GRCC students can have many discourses.

Corrected Run-On in Paragraph:

GRCC is a diverse school because the students have many discourses. There are so many different types of people at Green River that you may never meet. Every person has their own lifestyle and their own job. For example think of the thirty people who are in one of your classes, every person has a different job; so that makes 30 discourses in a single class. Now think of the thousands of students that attend Green River, which could make up thousands of discourses. Green River is a discourse, full of other discourses.

4.     I love to explore Seattle, Seattle has many interesting things to explore.

Corrected Run-On in Paragraph:

I love to explore Seattle because; Seattle has many interesting things to explore. There are unlimited amounts of places to visit in Seattle. From Pike Place Market, to the Space Needle; there are endless possibilities of the places you could explore. Seattle is a very large city and known to many around the country. Seattle is the perfect place for tourists to go, even if you live in Washington; it’s fun to be a tourist for a day. Whenever a day is needed out of the house; Seattle is the perfect place to go to have fun and explore different opportunities.

5.       A smoking ban on campus is good for students not everyone should be exposed to cigarette smoke.

Corrected Run-On in Paragraph:

A smoking ban on campus is good for students. Not everyone should be exposed to cigarette smoke. Many students have complained about walking by the smoking areas at school because they don’t want to be exposed to cigarette smoke. There are many cons of smoking cigarettes because you can get sick and it smells bad and sticks easily to hair and clothes. Nobody wants second hand smoke because it is even more dangerous than smoking itself, so that is why Green River Community College has put a smoking ban on.

Homework 2/5

An expository is a way of explaining something or portraying a message. When writing an expository paragraph you need to engage your critical thinking skills. When writing an expository paragraph there is usually always a critical point which is being explained. Almost all expository paragraphs have an argument that needs evidence and support to back it up. When writing an expository paragraph the purpose is to persuade others of the conclusion you came upon but you cannot do that without supporting your argument with evidence; your evidence can be person experiences, or of others.

There are different parts of an expository paragraph: the topic sentence, support and analysis, and the concluding sentence. The topic sentence is the controlling idea of the paragraph. It is the main part of the paragraph that establishes the topic and the purpose. Then there is the support and analysis. These are the sentences between the topic and conclusion sentences. You need to provide support to your topic sentence to back it up. Which includes examples, experiences, and proof of what you are trying to convince. Finally there is the concluding sentence. In this sentence you are re-emphasizing the topic sentence's focus and purpose. You never restate your topic sentence. But you do need to have the same idea as in your topic sentence.

New Paraphrase

A commonly admissible organization among the way you speak, or write from the use of words of  introspection, and behavior that can be used to establish characteristics and pin-point ones personality as a member of a respected community or a place to get together and mingle.

Gees Reading Questions

1. What is discourse?

• -        Discourse to me is saying who you are, or what your career is. Discourse seems as if it is a way of life, it’s what you learned to be.  Discourse is belonging to a socially accepted and meaningful group. When you are in a discourse, you talk, dress, and act a certain way that relates to the discourse.

2. What does it mean that discourses are ideological?

• -        This means that when you are in a discourse; you believe everything about it. You have the same exact values and morals as every other person in the discourse. You even talk and dress the same. Every person in a discourse is taught to be the exact same.

3. What is the difference between acquisition and learning?

• -        Acquisition is something you learn without realizing that you are learning it, it’s something that you just take in without actually hands on learning it. And learning is something that you would learn in a classroom, and you physically do work, and study and learn it.

4. What is the difference between a primary and a secondary discourse?

• -        In a primary discourse (family) you learn how to act in a certain group, and how to dress & talk. You also learn about the culture you have to live by and religion. In a secondary discourse (society), you do the same thing as a primary discourse but you go more in depth and learn more about the writing and the language of the discourse.

5. What’s the most confusing sentence in the essay? Please rewrite it/copy and paste it below. What do you think it means?

• -        To me the most confusing sentence was; “It can he noted however that sometimes people must fall back on their primary uses of language in inappropriate circumstances when they fail to control the requisite secondary use.”
• -        I think this sentence means that people, who have learned something in a secondary discourse, can always go back to what they were or what they learned in the primary discourse. But only if it is the right or appropriate time to do so.

Pre-Reading Questions

Gee, I Love to Do Pre-Reading!

 

1.       Do a Google search for the word “identity.” In your own words, write 2-3 sentences describing what “identity” means. If someone asks you, “what’s your identity?” what does that person want to know?

I think your identity is how you present yourself to others. Where you came from, what your motives/goals are, and what you believe in. Your identity is what makes you unique, no two people are alike. Your identity is your behavior, your emotions, and how you think. Your characteristics play a lot in your identity too, it shows who you are.

“Identity” Synonym: Character, existence, Individuality, & Recognition

2.       What are the different things that make up your identity? Feel free to use your introductory blog post as a guide. You might try to rank the parts of your identity starting with the most important.

-        Born in Wenatchee, WA.

-        Hometown: Covington, WA.

-        Family issues since I was young

-        Everything I’ve been through

-        Blue eyes, 5’3”

-        I believe in being truthful, and loyal.

-        I believe in always making the best out of any situation you’re put into.

-        Very shy, and quiet.

-        I have a habit of biting my nails

-        Writing fluently is hard for me

-        Naturally blonde, and no matter what color it is I’m always a blonde at heart

Do a Google search. Who is James Paul Gee? (Write 2-3 sentences).

3. James Paul Gee is a Literacy Studies Professor at Arizona State University, he is a member of the National Academy of Education. He defines identity as “being recognized as a ‘certain’ kind of person”.

4.       Do a Google search. What is “linguistics”? What does a “linguist” do? (Write 2-3 sentences in your own words).

Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure. Linguistics is also the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and sematics. A linguist is someone who is very skilled in foreign languages, or someone who is able to speak fluently in other languages. You have to be very skilled in the science of languages.

5.       Reading prediction: Based on what we’ve discussed and what you’ve researched today, what do you think our first essay, “What is Literacy?” will be about? Write at least 4 sentences.

 

After what we’ve discussed and researched I think the essay “What is Literacy” is going to be about identity. About who we are, what our goals are, and how we are going to apply that to this class. I think this essay is a way of you getting to know us, and for you to see how well we write and comprehend what we learn. We will be learning about our self and how literate or illiterate we are.

Introduction!

Hi my name is Rebecca Duffey, I'm 19 years old, and I recently graduated from Kentlake High School. I was born in Wenatchee but I have lived in Covington almost my whole life. This is my first quarter at Green River, I have one hybrid class, one online class, and just one normal one. I'm still not completely sure of what I want to do as a career yet, but I think that I want to get into the Early Childhood Education program here at green river. I am in the transfer program, so after I get my AA degree I want to transfer to Western Washington University.
I don't really have many hobbies, I mainly just focus on work and school. Just recently I moved out of my dads house and into my friends house with her parents. I did this end of summer. And since then I got my permit, license, a car, two job, and got enrolled in school. So mainly what I have been doing is focusing on my future, and trying to make something of myself, and prove to myself and others that I can accomplish all of my goals. Thank you for listening to a few things about myself!
-Rebecca