Week 2 25th January

Today was a total failure. 1 hour of class time was wasted on trying to get online, log on students' blog, and create new blogs. They could not get online, and when they do the connection doesn't stay long. When they got into blogger, the could not log on. Those who wanted to create a blog faced the same problem. I'm not what's the problem but I'm guessing the following:

• the internet connection is bad at the lab
• too many people from the same location trying to get into the same site, thus it is jammed up

If this goes on then I'm doomed. I either have to look for another lab with better connection or have them to blog outside of class time.

This problem might dampen the student's excitement (if there's any) towards the use of blog in this class. It can influence their entire perception towards blogging till the end of the semester. Then that is bad for me. I pray to get to God to help me.

Week 2 24 January

I continued with implied main idea, working at paragraph level and longer passages. Only 22 students were present, 4 were absent. Two boys had conjunctivitist, 1 girl is suffering from tonsilitis and 1 boy was MIA. It seems that he is often MIAing. Recalling back his face the boy does seem reserved. Had the students write the main idea to some of the paragraphs and 1 girl wrote an excellent one which really impresses me.

I later distributed the Motivation to Read questionnaire. Most of the students have created their own blog and hope tommorrow's class will go on without any technical glitches. Insyaallah.

The class room was hot and humid, anyhow it was a sign that it was going to rain later and it did.

1st week 17 & 18 Jan 2007

I started my first class on the 17th of January at 2.10 pm till 4. pm in room 314. There were 24 students in the class, 2 were absent. Six of the students are males and the rest are females. This tells something about the unequal proportion of males and females at our university and particularly in the teaching profession.

Topic covered was implied main ideas. I distributed the student profile questionnaire. Upon skimming through the questionnaires, 1 did not fill in the part which ask them whether they have read, commented and own a blog. Another wrote her name instead of her age in the 'age' section. I wonder why?

I told them about the blogs that they will create and use for the class. However, a majority of them did know show any form of excitement. A few look worried and I assumed that they may have some fear of the computer.

Thursday, 18 January 2007.

Class was at S110, INTEC computer lab. I thanked God that this lab was available at this time throughout the semester. I would like to thank also Saki for letting me use the lab 'dgn tidak banyak songeh'. Tuhan lanjutkan usia and murahkan rezeki Saki. Amin.

In briefed the students on some facts about weblog and showed examples of blogs owned by Malaysians. Later I showed them how to create their own blog using Blogger. Things did not go well today because the students could not start creating their blog. They tried many many times to submit their information and it kept redirecting it somewhere else. I assume that blogger is jammed up with application from 24 students at the same time, or the internet connection at the lab could not handle it, or the problem with internet connection due to the Taiwan earthquake has not completely gone back to normal. So this is one problem ( a technical one) that anyone may face when trying to integrate technology (particularly the Internet) in the classroom. Luckily, the intended treatment of the study is not due yet.

Thus, I told the students to create their own blog outside of the classroom over the weekend. I hope they would really do it and have better luck this time around.

Spellbinder

Read the following passage and try to complete the exercises that follow. I will give the explanations in a later entry.

Even Sherlock Holmes would agree: The spelling of English words is not elementary, no matter how often we try to teach it in elementary school. The problem is that sometimes we spell the same sounds in different ways such as vowel sound in me and ski. The rest of the time we use the same letters to represent different sounds, as with g in gem and go.

Homonyms can be difficult - they're, there, and their are the triple threat that trip up everyone once in a while - but suffixes are worse. Is -sede, -cede, or -ceed? When does a word take an -ible and when an -able (as in dirigible or tractable)? When do double an l, drop an e, or add an -ally (not an -ly)?

The vowels alone are enough to induce a case of the heebie-jeebies: Webster's Ninth New Collegiate gives 36 ways to pronounce and spell a sounds. And even consonants can pull a fast one. In an ad essay for International Paper Company (part of the Power of the Printed Word series), novelist John Irving list 13 ways to spell the sh sound, including the least likely looking, ti, as in nation. Unfortunately, mnemonic devices are less likely to untie the numerous knots of spelling than well, a gnat is to die of pneumonia.

Of course, there are rules, but they have their own problems. Consider the following excerpt from Arco's Office Guide to Spelling and Word Division by Margaret A. Haller (1984): " A single consonant following a single vowel and ending a monosyllable or a final accented syllable is doubled before a suffix beginning with a vowel."

Such rules boggle the mind and make the eyes cross; it's actually a relief to learn that most of them have so many exceptions that even a person who understands such stuff can make mistakes.

It is some comfort to know that, even 200 years ago, spelling was not a big issue. A writer might spell a word three different ways in one sentence, and nobody looked twice. but nowadays we're neater, more consistent. People who misspell invite ridicule, reproof, and even disregard from employers and friends alike. Knowing this, some would-be writers get so annoyed or so embarrassed that they quit, others forge ahead and make ruinous mistakes.

Fortunately spelling is a skill that can be learned. There are tricks, and the rules do help a writer play the odds with good guess. For example, according to Arco's, only one word ends in -sede: supercede. Only three end in -ceed,: exceed, succeed, and proceed. All the rest like that end in -cede.

The first thing to do is get a good dictionary, one that has a pronunciation scheme that the user feels comfortable with. If it has etymologies, so much better: Knowing that chauffeur, for example, comes from French might help fix in mind the ch spelling of the sh sound and the -eur at the end.

Next, look for a good book on spelling. Jessica Davidson's How to Improve Your Spelling and Vocabulary (Franklin Watts, 1980) is - despite its dull title - a funny, down-to-earth book that starts out one chapter with the question "What's the difference between the English navy and the English Language?" Answer: "The navy rules the waves and the language waives the rules."

Davidson tells when to use -ible and -able, at least most of the time (-able goes on a word that can stand alone, "either as it is or with and e on the end or a y for an i"); if it can't stand alone, it gets the -ible. (Mnemonic nonsense can help here: Just remember that since it it can't stand alone, "I will help it.") Less funny but more complete is Spelling Simplified written by Judi Kesselman-Turkel and Franklynn Peterson (Contemporary Books, 1983).

Also useful are spelling dictionaries such as Arco's. Only 14 pages of this book are rules; the either 266 are lists of words, three columns to a page, correctly spelled and divided.

All of these books lend method to the madness of spelling, and they offer lots of tips. For example, browsing in Spelling Simplified, a reader finds that only four common one-syllable words ending in a z sound are actually spelled with a z instead of s: fez, quiz, whiz, and adz. Also, only one English word spells the v sound with an f: of. And when two vowels come together in a diphthong, the main sound of them usually comes first in the spelling; gait, camouflage.

Ultimately, spelling well is a do-it-yourself project. Reading helps because seeing words in print trains the eye for what "looks" right. When all else fails, there's the personal double-check list - words that for some reason never "look" right to the list maker, even when they are. My own list includes commitment and appall: I always put an extra t in the fist, and take out a consonant, any consonant, in the second.

And then there's casserole, which I am writing now for the first time in 15 years. Suffice it to say I once had to write nine thank-you notes for casserole dishes, and it wasn't until after mailing the eight one that I checked the dictionary.

Exercise : Inferences

Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage:

1. Most spelling rules are pretty simple.

2. Nearly anyone can become a good speller.

3. Vowel sounds are easier than consonant sounds.

4. People who read a lot tend to be better spellers.

5. Using mnemonic devices is the best way to improve your spelling.

6. Knowledge of a word's etymology can aid spelling.

7. Suffixes are a big spelling problem.

8. There are so many exceptions that spelling rules are really useless.

9. Poor spelling can undermine the message the writer wants to communicate.

10. Spelling dictionaries aren't much good.

Exercise: Fact or Opinion

Which statements are fact and which are opinion.

1. "Even Sherlock Holmes would agree..."

2. "...Sometimes we spell the same sounds in different ways."

3. "The vowels alone are enough to induce a case of the heebie-jeebies..."

4. "Novelist John Irving lists 13 ways to spell sh sound..."

5. "...Only one word ends in -sede..."

6. "Davidson tells when to use -ible and -able..."

7. "Such rules boggle the mind and make the eyes cross..."

8. "Only 14 pages of this book are rules..."

9. Only four common one-syllable words ending in a z sound are actually spelled with a z instead of s..."

10. "...Only one English word spells the V sound with an f:of."

Exercise : Tone, Purpose.

1. What do you think is the author's purpose for writing this article?

2. What is the tone of the passage?

War On Drugs

War On Drugs
Originally uploaded by isi1000.

Not all propagandas are bad. If you read and look at these two advertisements, you will see that they are meant to influence peopke to go against the use of drugs.

Understanding and being able to detect propagandas are good skills to have. I found a website containing exercises on detecting and understanding propaganda created by Mr. Don. Please visit and explore his website. Visit also this site to understand more about propaganda techniques.

Please search for samples of posters, advertisements, speeches, etc that may be biased for or against something. Include also excerpts (a few lines) from a sociology (topics on culture, gender, etc) or a psyhology (e.g. topics on abnormal behavior), or a political science textbook that you believe is somewhat biased either for or against something or someone. Post as much as you can on your blog and invite comments from your friends. Have fun.

Detecting Bias

Anti-Japan
Originally uploaded by isi1000.

We are generally aware that the public media are "loaded" with bias (a predisposition, prejudice, or prejudgment), especially in such things as commercials, political speeches, and even pep talks by religious and social work fun raisers. This "loading" with words and phrases that play upon our emotions is meant to move our thinking - and thus our actions - in a chosen direction. In fact we are aware of this phenomenon that we usually don't even think about it unless our emotions are strongly touched in some way, and then we may question the cause. Seldom, however, do we question statements that we read in university assignments or wonder if the author is being unbiased in presenting facts- and we must be sensitive to that possibility because bias in a textbook or articles may negate its value.

Bias is often present when a writer's choice of words arouses the reader's emotions, but is always there when the material being read includes one or more of these elements:

1. Name-calling: The presidential candidate was not able to continue speaking because of irresponsible interruptions by several ill-mannered, unkempt weirdos.

2. Contradictions : Our religious organization is in no trouble at all. the recent scandal will blow over, people will resume their giving and we will save the ministry.

3. Highly emotional, even inflammatory statements : We all feel the same way: let them go back where they came from and stop causing trouble in our community. They don't belong here with normal people.

4. False assumptions, based on weak or inaccurate information : Asian refugees have a hard time adjusting to Western society because they are used to being told when to do everything, and in this country everyone is his own boss and does what he wants to do.

5. Stereotyping, often with overgeneralizations full of inaccuracies: Every one knows that men make much better airline pilots than women do.

Often, biasness is expressed in the form of propaganda, whether they are written in speeches, leaflets, flyers or merely just pictures. The poster above was created by the U.S. Army during WWII against the Japanese troop. Look at the words used to describe the Japanese. What's your reaction to the poster? How intense are the words used in it? How would you feel if you were a Japanese or an American?

Author's Tone and Mood

Oscar Wilde
Originally uploaded by isi1000.

This is a continuation of the entry on Author's Tone. If you are wondering who this guy in the picture is, well, he's Oscar Wilde, the one I mentioned in the earlier entry. Click on this link, Instant Authority, which describes and gives examples on tone. I have linked this blog to several online books. Please visit them and choose any excerpts from any books that you feel contains mood like, anger, sadness, happiness, etc.

Please read the attached column from The Star about knowledge of the English language. Can you determine the tone of the writer and her purpose for writing the article? Are you in anyway affected by the things she has stated? Post your answers on your blog. Include also links to columnist from any major newspapers that assert certain tones. Letters to Editor section of a newspaper is good place to practice recognizing the writer's tone and purpose. Please choose one and comment on it. You can also write your own letter to the editor about something that has been bothering you or something that you may find amusing.

Trafficlight

trafficlight
Originally uploaded by isi1000.

This is the cartoon by Datuk Lat which does not appear on my previous entry (Making Inferences). So, what can you infer about the message Lat is trying to deliver in this sketch?

Authors' Tone

Tone is the attitude the writer takes toward a subject. Authors may write about something they respect or about something they hate. A writer may be angry. A writer may be impatient. A writer may take a humorous view of the subject. Or a writer may be ironic - saying one thing but really meaning the opposite. Oscar Wilde was asked by a judge during his trial, " Are you trying to show contempt for this court?"and Wilde replied, "On the contrary, I'm trying to conceal it." The tone of his response was much more effective than if he said, "Yes, I am." Wilde's use of irony made his contempt appear much stronger, so strong that Wilde appeared not to be able to restrain it.

Identifying author's attitudes in their writing can tell you a great deal about their purpose. You as a reader, should be aware of how the author feels so that you can critically and objectively, putting the ideas expressed in perspective. Read the following passages:

The federal government's policy on economic growth proved to be as liberal and unthinking as it had ever been when it gave away choice land to corporations and industrialists rather than to prospective farmers and hardworking ranchers.

The federal government had an established policy to encourage economic growth that enabled it to give away large sections of valuable land to manufacturing and industrial corporations, land that otherwise would merely have been used for farming or ranching.

In the 1st paragraph, the author uses a condemning tone in discussing the government's policy, and the words liberal, unthinking, choice are meant to create an unfavorable effect on the reader's thinking about the government's policy. In the 2nd paragraph, the same information is presented but the author's words such as established, encourage, enabled, merely create a positive and accepting tone, clearly designed to encourage the reader to approve of the ideas written.

Generalizing

Another way to help you interpret what you read and to get deeper meanings from it is to develop skills in generalizing. When you generalize, you extend meanings beyond the specific ideas you read about. Generalizing allows you to apply information you've learned in a broader, less specific sense. You add up facts and details and draw from that particular information general ideas or principles. Let's look at the following example:

Many problems of interest to scientists involve converting data to useful information by solving mathematical equations. The first computer were used in solving scientific problems because of their capacity to do arithmetic at great speeds. For example, one of the first problems computer solved, in the late 1940's, was where a shell shot from a cannon would land if it were fixed with a certain force and in a certain directions, given a certain wind velocity, and so on. What were the data? The data here might include the design and weight of each shell, the amount of powder used to propel it, and the design of the bore of the cannon. We could use a manual or a mechanical system to solve the equations that needed solving - but the work would take so long that the shell would long since have reached its target.

In general, mathematical equations help us turn data into

a. facts

b. computer resources

c. practical knowledge

d. scientific problems

2. Complex mathematical equations like those that can tell where a shell shot from a cannon might land

a. can be solved by humans

b. require computers to provide solutions

c. are no longer of any use in current warfare

d. none of the above

3. In general, according to this passage you would turn to a computer to help solve a complex problem because the computer is

a. smarter than human beings

b. quick

c. relatively inexpensive

d. important in determining the data needed to solve problems

In question 1 we can generalize that mathematical equations can turn data into practical knowledge (c) since the passage tells is that it was used to determine where a cannon shot would land when it is shot. The 2nd questions we can generalize that human can solve complex mathematical equations (a) . In question 3 you can generalize that you can turn to a computer is quick (b).

One danger in generalizing is making hasty generalizations i.e. we generalize to quickly before evaluating the facts that we have. As humans we often do this when we sometimes meet new people.

We can sometimes make generalizations from looking at pictures, drawing or cartoons. Here I'm again using Lat's cartoon. What generalization(s) can you make about Malaysian

his from this sketch?

Post a few pictures of people from a country on your blog and make safe generalizations perhaps about their lifestyles, dispositions, habits, etc. Here is a link to pictures of China. Also get a few articles about a person e.g. prominent leaders, intellectuals, celebrities or even a certain place, things etc. Link those articles to your blog with some generalizations that you can make about those people or things.

Drawing Conclusions and Predicting Outcomes

Careful readers interpret what they read; that is they try to explain and to understand ideas brought out by their reading. One way to build your skill at interpreting is to try to draw conclusions from what a writer tells you.

A reading selection gives you information about a topic. Good readers are able to use that information on their own in order to know what to expect next. Paragraphs or larger readings present information to support a topic, but they do not always state all the possible results of the events the writer discusses. In fact, if you must answers questions after your read, those questions often involve conclusions you must draw on your own.

Let's do a simple exercise to get you started on drawing conclusions and predicting outcomes. Which word group from the choices below would you select to complete the following sentence?

If you keep reading books with small print in such dim light,

a. you'll never pass your exam

b. you may not learn the meaning of important words

c. you may strain your eyes

d. you should play some music on the radio

We can reasonably guess that c is the correct ending of the sentence. In fact, the only sound selection we can make from the choices given here is c. We can tell from the word if that writer is setting up conditions that will affect the outcome of the sentence.

Let's do more exercises. Try to determine the outcome for the statements below. Select the best and the most logical ending to finish each sentence.

1. People who do not smoke or drink, who exercise regularly, a nd who eat healthful foods probably

a. feel ashamed about the way they look.

b. feel better than people who don't take care of themselves

c. feel sick more often than people who relax and enjoy life.

d. think that they live boring lives

2. After losing every game this season, the soccer team probably felt

a. happy to have participated in a successful season.

b. mad because all the other teams were probably cheating.

c. disappointed at not being able to play better

d. guilty that they didn't try harder

3. Mariam was absent from class ten times this semester and only handed in one of six assignments. She can expect

a. that the teacher will give her a good grade.

b. that the teacher will give her extra time to complete unfinished work.

c. a failing grade

d. one of her classmates to do the work for her.

Understanding Figurative Language

To make language clearer, more interesting, and more vivid, we all use expressions that are not literally true. We make comparisons in speaking and writing. We sometime use figurative language. Figurative language - language that compares - paints a picture.

Examples: "I worked like a dog last night.", " "Either spend that fifty ringgit or put it in the bank. You can't have your cake and eat it too." None of the expressions is literal - that is, not one means exactly what it says. In the 1st example the speaker tries to show how hard he worked, and he compares himself to a dog to achieve the effects he wants. In the 2nd sentence, the person is saying that you cannot both use something up and keep it to use later. He is comparing it to a piece of cake where it is impossible to eat it and save it for much later. In newspapers, magazines, and textbooks, you can expect to find figurative language to make a point clearer or more lively, and often both. As a reader, you must recognize figurative expressions so that you can understand a writer's point fully.

Here are more examples. Can you figure out the literal meaning?

1. The sun yawned through the trees.

2. An idea spoke within him, racing through his mind.

3. The moon looked as white as a skull.

4. His blackberry eyes darted nervously.

5. He roared with the force of a thousand lions.

Meaning:

1. The sun is being compared to a person yawning.

2. The idea has the quality of a living thing: It speaks and races.

3. The moon's color is being compared to the color of a skull.

4. The eyes are being compared to blackberries so that you can see the eyes as small and black.

5. The force of his roar is exaggerated by being compared to the roars of lions.

Let's look again at the sentence "The sun yawned through the tree". What is the writer trying to say about the sun? He is saying that the sun is emitting its ray through the trees just like in the picture above. When someone yawns his mouth is wide open and something is emitted from it. Similarly, when the sun yawns its bright ray is emitted through the trees.

Take some excepts (similes, metaphors, etc) from the short stories, novels, or poems that you have read in your Literature class or perhaps you may have found in any texts. Post them in your blog and attached a picture that best represents the similes, metaphors etc. Make sure you explain what the excerpts mean.