Dear Homescholars,

This week’s feed has been posted in our classroom theater
and will take place through Google Plus.

The playlist for our 2014-2015 classes is here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_Xnpxfr0yI8ATzOnU6SmkO2x

To learn more about the class, please visit: http://abacus-es.com/eie/advancedwriting.html, see the links and watch the video.

The playlist of 2013-2014 classes is also on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_XmwbFdBDNpSar91svWKDe9Y

Agenda

Debate
The initial debate topic was assigned: “It is appropriate to censor certain things in the media” Let’s do it. We will all try to take both sides.

Masefield’s Guide to the Shakespeare Plays was provided as a quick overview for deciding on a play to do. We have selected MacBeth to start with.

Essay Writing

We may discuss further essays from the book: Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179. These demonstrate consistently excellent language: metaphor, collocation, coordination constructs, felicitous vocabulary, concision and concinnity. We will examine all of these and practice them in both writing and speech. Let’s start by examining these devices as used by the masters.

2015 Scholastic Writing Awards
This is a contest to which we may want to submit papers.

The query letter
EIE is starting up a new blog that may need contributions from students. Let’s be very proper and submit query letters.

• The lead, which is designed to catch the editor’s attention. It might be a startling statistic, a time peg, or an anecdote. Your lead should interest the editor enough to continue reading your query.
• The why-write-it section. This paragraph (or two, if you have a particularly detailed query) fleshes out the idea, demonstrating why the readers of the magazine will be interested in the topic.
• The nuts-and-bolts paragraph. Here you give the details of the story itself. What types of sources will you contact? How long will the story be? Will it have sidebars, and if so, how many? What section of the magazine will the story fit in? What’s the working title?
• The I’m-so-great paragraph, or ISG. Here you highlight your relevant qualifications, including your writing experience and background with the subject matter. This is the paragraph in which you showcase your unique qualifications and convince the editor to give you the assignment.

Let’s discuss chapters 1 and 2 in SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice,

Let’s discuss the High Priority Assignments

MacBeth.

A MacBeth page has been created with two excellent video versions including one starring Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judy Dench. Let’s discuss them.

Let’s discuss the heated and rebarbative debate with lots of ad hominem deprecation. Note the striking difference between the language of the two debaters. Which would you prefer to emulate? Christopher Hitchens and George Galloway debate intervention in Iraq.

Let’s discuss this old debate beween legendary orators: William F. Buckley vs Noam Chomsky

Here is a fairly comprehensive List Of Fallacious Arguments
for reference.

Let’s possibly discuss further a couple of Scholastic Writing Award winning essays, one persuasive and one a personal memoir: Let’s discuss chapters 1 and 2 in the text.

Language immersion: Some fun with animals and language:

The Zoo in Winter. Let’s discuss this wonderful piece by Jonathan Miller for its eloquence. How far does your spoken language need to go to mimic his?

Please let me know if you need more homework.

Older Assignments (please do these if you haven’t already)
Please watch the debate on US surveillance with Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz and constitutional attorney and journalist Glenn Greenwald. Enjoy watching this epic eloquence battle between eristic giants.

Be familiar with the list of suggested debate topics

Please read the first chapter in our textbook: SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice, available at the EIE bookstore and Amazon.com.

Please watch this High School Debate Contest, the City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship. Debate is on whether the US should support and comply with the International Criminal Court.
This is a very fine debate with positions well presented and justified. The commentary is also very useful, particularly for it’s explanation of the judges’ evaluation of the contestants.

Please watch the Oxford Union whistleblower debate.

Our online classroom contains a vast trove of English language resources ranging from full text books and audiobooks to films, plays, software and all of the assignments and activities generated in previous years. Please feel free to explore and suggest any specific items for inclusion in our high priority assignments.

Please post questions, suggestions and discussion

My parents’ name is Titchenell. They called me F.J.R.,
A hint about my future and a lucky guess by far,
For J.R.R’s enduring world of evil versus good,
For Robins both of Locksley and the Hundred Acre Wood,
For Jane whose razor wit put all three Bronte girls to shame.
Fiona was my own before the ogre princess came.

They schooled me in my craft, but on my own I heard its call.
Whatever it gives back to me, I give this task my all.
I’ll trade my days to feed myself and keep my happy home,
My heart can spend them safely locked in some remembered tome.
I’ll even do them well, my every bread-acquiring sham,
But don’t confuse the things I have to do with what I am.

I’m through and through a storyteller. That’s all I can be,
No matter if by day or night, for crowds or only me.
The use of words on paper to encourage and explore
The beauty of the human heart and mind is what I’m for.
I do this not because it’s easy nor for profit’s sake.
This life’s the one that chose me and the only one I’d take.
———-
She’s still working at her day job but her second book has just come out and she has a book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Glendale this Friday:
October 17th at 7:30pm:
Signing in Glendale
http://www.facebook.com/events/291965677642760
Barnes & Noble Americana at Brand
210 Americana Way, Glendale, California 91210

Dear Homescholars,

This week’s feed has been posted in our classroom theater and is posted on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cllbBTCraTo
and will take place through Google Plus. The Event Page: https://plus.google.com/events/clbgkdnimhtvfen3m0dranhuv7k

The playlist for our 2014-2015 classes is here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_Xnpxfr0yI8ATzOnU6SmkO2x

To learn more about the class and to get access to our online classroom, please visit: http://abacus-es.com/eie/advancedwriting.html, see the links and watch the video.

The playlist of 2013-2014 classes is also on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_XmwbFdBDNpSar91svWKDe9Y

Notes
(Note that all videos are easily found with a search on youtube.  For access to our classroom, see http://abacus-es.com/eie/advancedwriting.html)
We discussed at length the debate on US surveillance with Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz and constitutional attorney and journalist Glenn Greenwald, noting the devices used, points made and language employed.

We discussed debate topics for class but did not decide on anything in particular. The debate topic: “It is appropriate to censor certain things in the media” looks like a good one. Let’s do it. Please be prepared to take both sides.

Updated Assignments

MacBeth.

A MacBeth page has been created with two excellent video versions including one starring Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judy Dench. Please watch.

Debate:

Let’s prepare for a debate next week on “It is appropriate to censor certain things in the media.” Please be prepared to take both sides.

Please watch: Christopher Hitchens and George Galloway debate intervention in Iraq. A heated and rebarbative debate with lots of ad hominem deprecation. Note the striking difference between the language of the two debaters. Which would you prefer to emulate?

William F. Buckley vs Noam Chomsky
An old debate between legendary orators. The subject matter is historical but Buckley’s language is always superb.

Please look at the
List Of Fallacious Arguments

In class we briefly examined a couple of Scholastic Writing Award winning essays, one persuasive and one a personal memoir. Please read them through looking for vocabulary, expressive devices, arc and subject matter. We will discuss them a bit more next week.

Language immersion: Some fun with animals and language:

The Zoo in Winter. Please listen to this wonderful piece by Jonathan Miller for its eloquence. How far does your spoken language need to go to mimic his?

Please let me know if you need more homework.

---

Older Assignments (please do these if you haven’t already)

Please watch the debate on US surveillance with Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz and constitutional attorney and journalist Glenn Greenwald. Enjoy watching this epic eloquence battle between eristic giants.

A classroom page for examples of successful essays contains a couple of examples from the essay book, Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179. We did read parts; please read them more thoroughly and prepare to speculate upon the characteristics that make them successful.

Please consider Shakespeare plays for watching, dramatic readings and discussion. Suggestions: Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, MacBeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet. Please refer to Masefield’s Guide to the Shakespeare Plays for a quick overview. We decided to do MacBeth, possibly followed by Romeo and Juliet

Be familiar with the list of suggested debate topics

Please read the first chapter in our textbook: SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice, available at the EIE bookstore and Amazon.com.

Please watch this High School Debate Contest, the City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship. Debate is on whether the US should support and comply with the International Criminal Court.
This is a very fine debate with positions well presented and justified. The commentary is also very useful, particularly for it’s explanation of the judges’ evaluation of the contestants.

Please watch the Oxford Union whistleblower debate.

Dear Homescholars,

This week’s feed has been posted in our classroom theater
and will take place through Google Plus. See the Event Page: https://plus.google.com/events/clbgkdnimhtvfen3m0dranhuv7k

The playlist for our 2014-2015 classes is here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_Xnpxfr0yI8ATzOnU6SmkO2x

To learn more about the class, please visit: http://abacus-es.com/eie/advancedwriting.html, see the links and watch the video.

The playlist of 2013-2014 classes is also on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_XmwbFdBDNpSar91svWKDe9Y

Agenda
Debate discussion

You will all have watched the debate on US surveillance between Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, constitutional attorney and journalist Glenn Greenwald, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Gen. Michael Hayden, former head of the NSA and CIA.

We will discuss the language used, the rhetorical devices used, the catch phrases and the presence and absence of facts. Please bring your thoughts.

Discussion of debate topics
Let’s decide on a debate topic. Certainly some in
the list of suggested debate topics will have inspired.

Shakespeare
You will have put some thought into Shakespeare plays for watching, dramatic readings and discussion. Suggestions: Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, MacBeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet. Masefield’s Guide to the Shakespeare Plays was provided as a quick overview.

Essay Writing

We may discuss further essays from the book: Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179. These demonstrate consistently excellent language: metaphor, collocation, coordination constructs, felicitous vocabulary, concision and concinnity. We will examine all of these and practice them in both writing and speech. Let’s start by examining these devices as used by the masters.

2015 Scholastic Writing Awards
This is a contest to which we may want to submit papers.

The query letter
EIE is starting up a new blog that may need contributions from students. Let’s be very proper and submit query letters.

• The lead, which is designed to catch the editor’s attention. It might be a startling statistic, a time peg, or an anecdote. Your lead should interest the editor enough to continue reading your query.
• The why-write-it section. This paragraph (or two, if you have a particularly detailed query) fleshes out the idea, demonstrating why the readers of the magazine will be interested in the topic.
• The nuts-and-bolts paragraph. Here you give the details of the story itself. What types of sources will you contact? How long will the story be? Will it have sidebars, and if so, how many? What section of the magazine will the story fit in? What’s the working title?
• The I’m-so-great paragraph, or ISG. Here you highlight your relevant qualifications, including your writing experience and background with the subject matter. This is the paragraph in which you showcase your unique qualifications and convince the editor to give you the assignment.

Let’s discuss chapter 1 in SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice,

High Priority Assignments

(Note: these assignments should be enjoyable. Do only as much as you find enjoyable. If you find them to be onerous and pointless, please help shape future assignments with your suggestions)

Please read chapter 2 in the text.

Please be sure to write and post something this week. Consider a query letter, an admissions essay or perhaps the writing projects at the end of chapter 1 in the text.

Please watch for further postings which may depend upon what we decide in class to attempt next.

Please let me know if you need more homework.

Older Assignments (please do these if you haven’t already)

Please watch the debate on US surveillance with Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz and constitutional attorney and journalist Glenn Greenwald. Enjoy watching this epic eloquence battle between eristic giants.

A classroom page for examples of successful essays contains a couple of examples from the essay book, Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179. We did read parts; please read them more thoroughly and prepare to speculate upon the characteristics that make them successful.

Please consider Shakespeare plays for watching, dramatic readings and discussion. Suggestions: Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, MacBeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet. Please refer to Masefield’s Guide to the Shakespeare Plays for a quick overview.

Be familiar with the list of suggested debate topics

Please read the first chapter in our textbook: SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice, available at the EIE bookstore and Amazon.com.

Please watch this High School Debate Contest, the City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship. Debate is on whether the US should support and comply with the International Criminal Court.
This is a very fine debate with positions well presented and justified. The commentary is also very useful, particularly for it’s explanation of the judges’ evaluation of the contestants.

Please watch the Oxford Union whistleblower debate.

Our online classroom contains a vast trove of English language resources ranging from full text books and audiobooks to films, plays, software and all of the assignments and activities generated in previous years. Please feel free to explore and suggest any specific items for inclusion in our high priority assignments.

Please post questions, suggestions and discussion

Dear Homescholars,

This week’s feed has been added to the playlist for our 2014-2015 classes: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_Xnpxfr0yI8ATzOnU6SmkO2x

To learn more about the class, please visit: http://abacus-es.com/eie/advancedwriting.html, see the links and watch the video.

The playlist of 2013-2014 classes is also on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_XmwbFdBDNpSar91svWKDe9Y

Notes
Class planning

A starting point:

1. How much homework is enough? Just announce if you need more.
   
2. In what direction should our reading/watching/listening go initially? Let’s at least start on a Shakespeare play.
   

Essay Writing

We discussed an essay from the book: Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179. We will be reading and excerpting from this book in class, but you might like your own copy. These demonstrate consistently excellent language: metaphor, collocation, coordination constructs, felicitous vocabulary, concision and concinnity. We will examine all of these and practice them in both writing and speech. Let’s start by examining these devices as used by the masters.

High Priority Assignments

(Note: these assignments should be enjoyable. Do only as much as you find enjoyable. If you find them to be onerous and pointless, please help shape future assignments with your suggestions)

Please look through the list of suggested debate topics further and propose specific instances for debate in class. Please think of debate topics that would not require a great deal of research. Feel free to explore any of the many other debates posted in our classroom.

Please watch the newly added debate on US surveillance with Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz and constitutional attorney and journalist Glenn Greenwald. Enjoy watching this epic eloquence battle between eristic giants.

A classroom page for examples of successful essays contains a couple of examples from the essay book, Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179. We did read parts; please read them more thoroughly and prepare to speculate upon the characteristics that make them successful.

Please consider Shakespeare plays for watching, dramatic readings and discussion. Suggestions: Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, MacBeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet. Please refer to Masefield’s Guide to the Shakespeare Plays for a quick overview.

Please be sure to write and post something this week. Consider perhaps the writing projects at the end of chapter 1 in the text.

Please let me know if you need more homework.

Older Assignments (please do these if you haven’t already)

Please read the first chapter in our textbook: SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice, available at the EIE bookstore and Amazon.com.

Please watch this High School Debate Contest, the City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship. Debate is on whether the US should support and comply with the International Criminal Court.
This is a very fine debate with positions well presented and justified. The commentary is also very useful, particularly for it’s explanation of the judges’ evaluation of the contestants.

Please watch the Oxford Union whistleblower debate.

Our online classroom contains a vast trove of English language resources ranging from full text books and audiobooks to films, plays, software and all of the assignments and activities generated in previous years. Please feel free to explore and suggest any specific items for inclusion in our high priority assignments.

Please post questions, suggestions and discussion

Dear Homescholars,

This week we will have the second meeting of the 2014-2015 College Prep English Class at Excellence In Education which will meet on Thursdays at 2:30 in the large classroom at EIE but is also available to online-only students on Google Plus and Youtube.

The Google Plus event page: https://plus.google.com/events/cqqiund484b4csei67k7one4dhk

The Youtube feed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdebBngbmHo

To learn more about the class, please visit: http://abacus-es.com/eie/advancedwriting.html, see the links and watch the video.

The classroom feed for last week has been posted in Our online classroom theater where you will also find an archive of past classes. A playlist for our 2014-2015 classes has been created: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_Xnpxfr0yI8ATzOnU6SmkO2x

The playlist of 2013-2014 classes is also on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_XmwbFdBDNpSar91svWKDe9Y

A Thank you to those who have already posted in the Writer’s Forum or Vocabulary Journals. Let’s all post something for next week.

Agenda

Class planning

Though there is always a plan, class direction is protean and opportunistic in that we will explore any avenue that seems not fruitful for all (as long as we do it in formal English). However, some planing is indicated in order to allow for some needed preparation. Let’s brainstorm.

A starting point:

1. How much homework is enough?
2. In what direction should our reading/watching/listening go initially?

Essay Writing

Students in this class have evinced interest in a number of writing styles. Some want to work on college admission essays, others on SAT essays and nonfiction persuasive and informative material. These are wonderful goals. We will explore great writing in all these areas but we do need to understand that skill in all of these requires mastery of formal written English, to which we then add imagination, insight, research, analysis and, in some cases (SAT) some gratuitous prolixity. (Reminder: always look up any unfamiliar word that you encounter.)

A list of suggested debate topics has been posted in our classroom. Let’s discuss them.

A classroom page for examples of successful essays has been created and is a work in progress. I have been enjoying the book: Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179. We will be reading and excerpting from this book in class, but you might like your own copy.

Discussion of High Priority Assignments

(Note: these assignments should be enjoyable. Do only as much as you find enjoyable. If you find them to be onerous and pointless, please help shape future assignments with your suggestions)

Please look at the few college admission essays in our classroom. We will discuss them. There are more to come. A classroom page for examples of successful essays has been created and is a work in progress. I have been enjoying the book: Essays That Worked edited by Boykin Curry, ISBN: 0449905179.

Conclusions about the SAT essay: Dr. Perelman of MIT on the SAT essay exam.

Let’s discuss the list of suggested debate topics.

Let’s discuss the High School Debate Contest, the City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship. Debate is on whether the US should support and comply with the International Criminal Court.
This is a very fine debate with positions well presented and justified. The commentary is also very useful, particularly for it’s explanation of the judges’ evaluation of the contestants.

Please watch the Oxford Union whistleblower debate.

Please think of debate topics that would not require a great deal of research. Feel free to explore any of the many other debates posted in our classroom.

Please read the first chapter in our textbook: SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice, available at the EIE bookstore and Amazon.com.

Everyone should have read the class orientation page.

Please let me know if you need more homework.

Class Strategy

We’re all on the same page in this class; we all want to learn and want to help each other to learn. The subject is fascinating and we need to keep it fascinating. If the class degenerates into a quotidian struggle to fulfill requirements for credit and grades, we have lost the battle and are no better than public school. The class is flexible and can adjust to individual enthusiasm and fascination, thus the onus is on each member of the class to lead it in directions that will be most productive and enjoyable.

We looked briefly at a brilliant Longfellow poem. Shall we examine it more closely?

Travels by the Fireside
— H. W. Longfellow

The ceaseless rain is falling fast,
And yonder gilded vane,
Immovable for three days past,
Points to the misty main,

From them I learn whatever lies
Beneath each changing zone,
And see, when looking with their eyes,
Better than with mine own.

New reading and watching thoughts

Let’s examine what you are reading and would like to explore.

Our online classroom contains a vast trove of English language resources ranging from full text books and audiobooks to films, plays, software and all of the assignments and activities generated in previous years. Please feel free to explore and suggest any specific items for inclusion in our high priority assignments.

Questions, suggestions and discussion

Dear former students, continuing students, new students, prospective students and classroom visitors — home-scholars all,

(Note that following links to classroom pages will require login.  Please contact eclass@abacus-es.com for information on online classroom access.)

The classroom feed for this week has been posted in Our online classroom theater where you will also find an archive of past classes. A playlist for our 2014-2015 classes has been created: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLExCxI6q5_Xnpxfr0yI8ATzOnU6SmkO2x

Class Notes

The class was started later this week than will be the case in future weeks. Normally the online feed will start at 2:30.

Discussion of class curricula

Please read Dr. Perelman of MIT on the SAT essay exam. Though this was written some time ago, it is presumably still valid. Dr. Perelman concludes that, due to the way the SAT exam is graded, grades allotted are almost entirely a function of word count. We will discuss this.

We discussed the letter from Salman Khan and his use of language.

We looked briefly at the Class Orientation page. Please read it.

The suggestions was also made that we engage in debate but no debate topics were suggested. Let’s watch a couple of debates:

High School Debate Contest The City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship. Debate is on whether the US should support and comply with the International Criminal Court.
This is a very fine debate with positions well presented and justified. The commentary is also very useful, particularly for it’s explanation of the judges’ evaluation of the contestants.

And the Oxford Union whistleblower debate

Please think of debate topics that would not require a great deal of research. Feel free to explore any of the many other debates posted in our classroom.


We looked at a brilliant Longfellow poem. It is worth another reading:

Travels by the Fireside
— H. W. Longfellow

From them I learn whatever lies
Beneath each changing zone,
And see, when looking with their eyes,
Better than with mine own.

Textbook

Please read the first chapter in our textbook: SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice, available at the EIE bookstore and Amazon.com. We will use the text as a foundation and reference for grammar and style but will explore many other sources in multiple media, all of which will be supplied in our online classroom.

Class Organization

Our online classroom contains a vast trove of English language resources ranging from full text books and audiobooks to films, plays, software and all of the assignments and activities generated in previous years. Please feel free to explore. We will use these and expand upon them.

High Priority Assignments
(Note: these assignments should be enjoyable. Do only as much as you find enjoyable. If you find them to be onerous and pointless, please help shape future assignments with your suggestions)

Please look at the few college admission essays in our classroom. We will discuss them. There are more to come.

Please watch the High School Debate Contest, The City Club of Cleveland’s High School Debate Championship.

Please watch the Oxford Union whistleblower debate.

Please think of debate topics that would not require a great deal of research. Feel free to explore any of the many other debates posted in our classroom.

Please read the first chapter in our textbook: SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice, available at the EIE bookstore and Amazon.com.

Please let me know if you need more homework.