Book Analysis Reports

Here you will find a recent (July 2012) video of a bit less than 30 minutes about Book Analysis Reports.

The video covers the requirements for the Book Analysis Reports as described in the updated information on the Class Web Page and on Blackboard. 

In addition, I discuss aids for grammar and style, including the PPST Practice and Twenty Common Error links. You will find the common errors power-point presentation helpful, for the slide show features in addition to common errors a discussion of active and passive voice.

And, of course, you have a collection of essays from previous classes, a list to which I hope to add some documents this term.

You will find links for the Book Analysis Reports in a folder in the Assignments Folder on Blackboard.

Book Analysis Report Discussion; watch either here or on You Tube:

Alphabet Book Discussion Video

This forty-minute video goes over a lot of the material our text covers in the sections about Alphabet Books, Chapbooks, and Primers.

The video includes a commentary on a series of images taken in the main from Alphabet Books with an emphasis in the end on a modern Alphabet Book, Gone Wild, a book about endangered species throughout the world.

I hope that this short discussion helps you, for I suggest ways in which modern alphabet books borrow from devices utilized in traditional alphabet books.  But many contemporary books such as the one featured in the video move in different directions.

Consider that all contemporary alphabet books make considered use of the techniques traditional alphabet books developed.  A contemporary alphabet such as the one discussed clearly talks about issues not addressed in a traditional alphabet book--you could argue for the book's laying a foundation for different kind of literacy.  Note, too, that early chapbooks contained alphabet books that addressed the natural world.

So new books most often build on old traditions, something to keep in mind as you think about your Alphabet Book Essay.

Final Examination Review

Here I offer a brief ( review for the final examination; the video discusses The Giver instead of Unwind. Keep in mind that his video comes from early May two years ago. The format for the examination remains identical, so do not worry about the discussion concerning when the final examination will take place and where.

You might also look over the video about Unwind. 





 

Make sure to review the material about the final examination, which comes, again, in two parts: Part One, five prompts; Part Two, an essay.

Remember, too, that you have from Tuesday  morning of exam week until Friday at midnight of exam week; and you must by then turn in your Book Analysis by Saturday of examination week.

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Do a good job, Bill

Week Eight Material

This week, you will want to read carefully the assigned readings over the poetry.

And look equally carefully over the Study Guide for the Final Exam. Make sure to look over the preceding link to prepare for both parts of the exam.

I also created a video for the final examination for the face-to-face class that applies for the most part to the on-line class though you will take both parts of the examination on line; the summer examination covers the identical material, so make sure to give the half-hour video your attention.  I will make a new video early of the final week of the term.

The only difference concerns the essay part of the examination: you will write an essay on either Unwind or American Born Chinese.

As the examination description notes, you can take Part One and Part Two beginning Tuesday, May 2; you have until midnight Friday, May 5, to complete both parts of the examination.


The final examination will follow the identical format of the midterm. And

you might want to look over some very good responses from both parts of that midterm.


This week, you will find here an introductory video and another slide-show video for American Born Chinese; both will help you prepare for the final examination. In addition, watch the two videos about the poetry readings assigned, for the examination will contain prompts related to the material covered in the videos.

Take your quiz right away--you do not have to study for this week's quiz.

This week, you have two videos about the Poetry assigned for your enjoyment and edification; each of the two videos is approximately thirty minutes long an will help you on the exam and with any Book Analysis Report you might choose to write about Children's Poetry.

To underscore the fact that Nonsense Poetry must make sense, read this article about Edward Lear, the master of the limerick and author of "The Owl and the Pussy Cat."

And I address in the video those poems, poets, and ideas about poetry for children that you might find of interest for both the discussion threads and the prompts that could appear on Part One of the Final Exam.


POETRY DISCUSSION PART ONE










POETRY DISCUSSION PART TWO







This slide-show video covers something Scott McCloud calls "closure," an important concept about the dynamics of "the invisible art" of sequential art. Read about closure on line and some of McCloud's other thoughts gathered in his excellent "comic," Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.

In this short video, McCloud talks about Understanding Comics.


The video also covers the second half of American Born Chinese.

Welcome to Week Seven

To read these two images, just click on each of the images--put the vocabulary to use in your discussion threads and in your reading of American Born Chinese.

Experiment with the preceding vocabulary in your discussions and other writing.

And read Jessica Abel's wonderful description of the Graphic Novel and visit her web site.

The preceding images and Jessica Abel's link lay a foundation for reading our Graphic Novel, an example of Sequential Art. Just click on each of the images to see a full-screen version.

Final Exam and Preparation. Make sure to look over the preceding link to prepare for both parts of the exam. You will also look over a 30-minute video that addresses the Final Examination.

You will complete both parts of the examination and other requirements for the class during the week of final examinations:  The only difference concerns the novels, for we did, as you know, read Unwind instead of the Giver.  Time permitting, I will make a new video.

SEE THE FOLLOWING VIDEO FOR QUIZ SIX REVIEW:

Remember that all revisions and other work are due by midnight Saturday, of finals week.

The final examination will follow the identical format of the midterm.

You will find the link to take PART TWO of the examination in the Assignment Folder for Week Eight. And the link to take PART ONE will reside just below the folder for the Week Eight assignment.


You will find four videos this week.






See, too, Stephen Colbert's interview with Maruice Sendak: Part One and Part Two. You will also find interesting an obituary for the late Maurice Sendak.In addition to the following Greeting for Week Seven and a Quiz Review (for next week's quiz), I created a slide-show video about the assigned readings in American Born Chinese, and a slide-show video over Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.The videos talk about the texts in the context of what you read in your anthology and elsewhere.

The following recording is a larger-frame look at the video for Sendak's famous book that the one that follows, which will now provide back up:

Introduction to Week Seven:

The following video slide show covers material assigned for reading in the graphic novel, American Born Chinese. Try to look at the pages mentioned as the presentation moves from slide to slide from page to page.

Again, you have two versions here, a larger-framed video now on You Tube and a smaller version for backup:

I created a slide-show video about Where The Wild Things Are for your enjoyment--a question about this book could find its way into your final exam, so give the video a look.
Know, too, that I spent a couple hours before making the video in a dentist's seat for some surgery. The numbness might show a bit in the speech, but I wanted to get this published and so fumbled through.





And to cap off this week of multiple video presentations and as usual, you have a video review for this week's quiz--but not until next week.

You take Quiz Seven this week.  See the link on the Announcement on blackboard.

We Begin Week Six of Eight

Purple Cone Flowers

This week's reading takes us formally into Science Fiction, which you have read over the past couple weeks, and Fantasy, which has, obviously, a lot in common with Tales of Wonder.

You will find here three videos: Week Six Introduction, The Giver, and Quiz Six.

As always, read carefully the this week's notes that cover Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Peter Pan.



And finally for the week, give this video your attention before you take your quiz, thirty-five questions this time around:

 

Week Five Welcome

In this video (around twenty-seven minutes), I talk briefly about revisions, Book Analysis Reports, the Midterm Exam, and this week's reading material, all about Legends, our new area of investigation. 

You will find a video for this week's quiz-open until 28 March, a Tuesday--at the conclusion of this posting. In addition, you will find a video about Unwind.

The video might talk about The Giver, but pay attention to the separate video about Unwind.


The video comes from a previous year.







Quiz Five Review

A short video here on Unwind (this video comes from the summer class on Dystopian YA Literature): 

For your enjoyment and/or edification, I made a thirty-minute video concerning Chapters 7-14 of The Giver.



As usual, you will want to review for the quiz by watching the following half-hour video that covers all the areas the quiz addresses.