Week 1

Wednesday, 8/29

We began our class this morning with an activity that helped us relax, get to know each other, and encourage us to build community.  Since I always enjoy receiving feedback, I asked you to reflect on the activity.  Afterwards, the course's syllabus was discussed and questions were answered about the class, the blog's website, and the reading lab component.

For homework, bring to class this Friday, a copy of your syllabus, your activity paper (favorite things) and reflection, a notebook (spiral bound), and a pen/pencil.  You may want to plan on purchasing your textbooks.  Both textbooks need to be brought to class by Wednesday, September 5.  Remember that there are no classes on Monday, September 3-Labor Day.

Friday, 8/31

This morning we started off by guessing a phrase which you all solved quickly, "reading is challenging".  We brainstormed why would reading by challenging to some people, and from there we had an active and passive reading activity. We all want to be active readers as it helps us to engage with the text so we can better understand the reading.

Throughout the semester, I will provide you with multiple active reading strategies that you can implement in all your classes. Today, we talked about the first strategy - annotating.  You took notes:  you defined it, wrote down the two steps and its benefits.  Afterward, I showed you an example of how I annotate my text. Now I want you to apply the strategy as you actively read our class syllabus. Part of your homework assignment is to come to class on Wednesday, 9/5 with our class syllabus annotated (refer to your notes).

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday with all your homework completed (check our calendar for a complete list of your homework).  Have a safe Labor Day Weekend!