None. But email me your Essay 5 if you have not done so already. Also, make sure you have given me your Essay 4 Final version. I will write comments on your Essay 5 and return it to you next week.
Choose a topic for your “compare-contrast” essay (essay #3) from the list on p. 72 (“Your Turn”).
Write your first draft, save it as “AW1 Essay3 Draft1 (YourFamilyName).docx” and email it to me by Friday noon 12:00.
Bring a hard copy to class to share with your classmates.
Today’s class
Exchange your “Problem-solution” essay with a classmate and use the “Peer Review Form” on p. 55 of the textbook.
Read the section on “hedging” on p. 59,
Textbook p. 61-2 Practice 12 and 13.
Textbook p. 63 Practice 14 and 15
Textbook p. 65 C
English prefers the order main clause + subordinate clause.
This may be different from Japanese.
In English, the phrase that comes at the end of the sentence gets more emphasis, so put the one you want to emphasize at the end.
E.g. “Our family eats beef every day but on Fridays, we eat fish.”
Compare with, “We eat fish on Fridays.” I.e. not on any other day.
The reason for the comma after the subordinate clause when you put it at the beginning of the sentence is that it shows this is not the subject of the main clause, which usually comes first (S+V+C).
E.g. “On Fridays, we have Academic Writing.”
The subject is “we”, but it comes in second place.
Chapter 3, p. 69 – read the sample essay “Friends.com”.
Textbook p. 70, C
Choose a topic and make an outline like the one on p. 78. You can also use the Venn diagrams on pp 73, 74 and 77 to make an outline.
Many thanks to all those students who gave permission for their essay to be used.
Homework
What was one big decision that you had to make? When? How did you decide? Who did you consult (if anyone)? Why did you consult (or why not)?
“The broken window fallacy” (note: there are at least two versions of the story; the one you should know is the story by French economist Frederic Bastiat). You will need to know the story in order to write next week’s timed essay.
Learn the story
Understand what it means
Today’s class
Think academically = think like an academic:
analyze meaning (e.g. what does “akemashite” mean? What does “hatsu-mode” mean?)
ask “who? what? when? where? how? why?” (e.g. when do people say “akemashite”? When do they go to “hatsu-mode”? What is “hatsu-mode”? Why do people do it? Who does it? Where? etc.)
Timed essay #1 (30 minutes):
‘”America First” is good for Japan.’ Discuss.
Paragraph #1 – explain the correct meaning of “America First”, its history (what? when? who?)
Paragraph #2 – suggest some arguments for and against this policy (or you can make the “for” arguments paragraph #2 and the “against” arguments paragraph #3).
Your personal conclusion with your reasons.
Timed essay #2 (30 minutes):
‘Japanese New Year traditions have no meaning in today’s world.’ Discuss.
What are some Japanese New Year traditions? Why are they traditions? When did they start (for example)?
Give some arguments for and against (or you can make the “against” arguments paragraph #3).
Also email it to me when you are ready (next Friday is fine)
Choose a topic for essay #3 “Problem-Solution” from the list on p. 72 in the textbook.
(Option) Watch this short video of comedian Louis C.K. giving a funny counter-claim to the common claim that lying is bad.
Louis’ counter-claim is that lying solves almost every problem like magic.
Schedule:
Friday July 21st:
start writing your compare-contrast essay in class.
gather data, design questions to ask classmates tin class.
After class, email me your essay#3 draft#1 as soon as possible. I will correct and return your draft asap.
If I have time, I will email it to you. If not, I will give you my corrections personally in class on July 28th.
Friday July 28th: using my corrections and comments, you will write the final draft of your compare-contrast essay in class.
Today’s class
You need a counter-claim. Most students had no counter-claim or very weak counter-claims. This makes you look lazy (you can’t be bothered to think of any) or ignorant (you don’t realize there are arguments against your position). Either way, you need counter-claims.
What exactly is the problem? Some of you did not clearly define the problem.
E.g. “putting things off is a problem.” No, it isn’t. It’s a bad habit, maybe, but it is not a problem. It CAUSES problems, yes, but putting things off itself is not a problem. You need to be clear in your own mind exactly what the problem is.
If you did some original research, e.g. by asking classmates some questions and gathering data, then you need to present the results to your readers. Usually this is the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs (the 1st and 2nd body paragraphs).
None. But if you were absent today, read the parts of the textbook we read in class today. You need to have read this material in order to participate in next 2 weeks’ classes. There will not be time in class to read the material. You must read it before class.
Next week and the week after (week 15) we will be writing test, timed essays in class.
Today’s class
Chapter 6, p. 140 A read.
Practice 5
p. 141 Practice 6.
p. 134, questions 1-4.
p. 135, B.
p. 136, C and practice 1
p. 137, D and practice 2.
p. 138, practice 3.
p. 139, practice 4.
p. 139, E: choose a topic and p. 141, B, write an outline (see also p. 142, outline A).
Read the model essay on pages 70-1 of the textbook, “friends.com”
Choose a topic for your comparison-contrast essay (essay #3). You can use the list in “My Turn” on page 72 or you can choose your own topic.
Write the first draft of your essay (hand-written is ok) and bring it to class next week. This essay is due July 29th (the last class, week 15).
Today’s class
Final check of essay #2 and hand in.
5 + 3 = 9 Correct or incorrect?
2 x 5 = 20 Correct or incorrect?
4x = 12. x =4 x 12 = 48 Correct or incorrect?
All the above examples are mathematically, logically incorrect. This is not a matter of opinion. Personal opinion has nothing to do with whether they are correct or not.
In the same way, we should examine and analyze the following two sentences. Is the thinking correct or incorrect?
“These days, low-carbohydrate diets are popular. However, a study conducted by the U.S. military using a zero-carbohydrate diet resulted in muscle loss and weakness among the participants.” Discuss. Do not give your opinion about diets, or low-carbohydrates diets.
First, is it true that “low-carbohydrate diets are popular”? This needs to be examined for truthfulness.
Second, “low-carbohydrate diet” si not the same as “zero-carbohydrate diet”. Because the two are not the same, the conclusion of the article is also incorrect.
zero-carbohydrate diet = dangerous.
Therefore low-carbohydrate diet= dangerous. INCORRECT. Because
low-carbohydrate ≠ zero-carbohydrate.
Therefore, low-carbohydrate diet ≠ dangerous.
Third, what exactly is a “zero-carbohydrate diet”? Is that even possible? Carbohydrates are found not only in bread, rice and starches (potatoes, etc), but also in carrots and other vegetables. To really have a “zero-carbohydrate diet” would mean not eating carrots or those vegetables which had some carbohydrates in them. This is nearly impossible to achieve. Exactly what were these soldiers in the study given to eat? We need more details.
Fourth, people who are interested in low-arbohydrate diets (or any diets) are usually ordinary people, but the people in the study are not ordinary but soldiers in the military, who have very different lifestyles and nutrition needs. Therefore, any conclusion drawn from this study does not necessarily apply to ordinary people.
Fifth, the article tries to suggest that low-carbohydrate diets are dangerous because zero-carbohydrate diets are dangerous. It does not state this, but merely suggests it. People read “zero-carbohydrate = dangerous” and so they assume that “low-carbohydrate also = dangerous”. But this is incorrect thinking (see step #2 above).
Make-up class will be Sat. July 11th, 5th period (16:10 – 17:40) in the same room (21).
Homework
Re-write your problem-solution essay, as per my instructions, print out and bring to the next class.
Choose a topic for your comparison-contrast essay (a list of suggested topics is in the textbook p 72 “Your Turn”, but you may choose another topic if you prefer), write your outline (see textbook p. 78 E) and bring it to the next class.
Today’s class
Class survey
Syllogisms:
Socrates:
If all people die, and
if Socrates is a person, then
Socrates will die.
gun control laws
If gun control laws become stricter, and
if criminals do not care about laws, then
criminals will not be deterred by stricter gun control laws (and therefore the problem of gun violence and mass shootings will not be solved by this policy).
Body cameras for police. Complete the third line:
If police must all wear body cameras, and
if police who shoot unarmed civilians are not prosecuted, then
