Part Two: New York Stories, circa 2007

PART TWO:
Here are the stories from the teenagers of 2007.

Assignment: Read any three "Individual Stories." You may also listen to the audio interviews. If you miss class, read the stories at home. Do not read the "Things Kids Have to Face" section yet. We will be reading it in class.

INDIVIDUAL STORIES:
My So-Called Gossipy Life

'If I'm Not Busy, I Complain That I'm Bored, but When I Am Busy, It's Like, Oh, My God.'

'I Was the Most Athletic Girl, the Best Girl Playing Sports.'

'My Family Has High Hopes for Me Because They Know I'm Going to Do Great Things.'

PIN MONEY
Angst Amid the Artichokes

'You Don't Have to Do Bad Things to Be in a Gang. You Don't Have to Do Anything You Don't Want to Do.'

SOPHISTICATED LADIES
Girls, Mean and Otherwise

'A Lot of Girls Like Me Because I'm Original and Enthusiastic and Also Because I Like to Play the Piano.'

'We're Always Talking About How We All Want to Have Boyfriends, and How We Have So Much Love to Give but No One to Give It To.'

THE HANG
The Island of Black Jeans

'My Parents Had This Big Argument Over Whose Fault It Was, Why I Chose to Be This Way.'

'Our Year Is the Most Competitive Year in the History of College Applications. Or Something Like That.'

'Some People Are Like, "Why Are You All Dressed Up in School?" but People Judge You by the Way You Take Care of Yourself.'

'I Had to Work, Because if I Didn't, There Wouldn't Be Food on the Plate.'

AUDIO INTERVIEWS WITH KIDS:
Wild At Heart, At Seventeen


THINGS A LOT OF KIDS HAVE TO FACE:

UP AND ABOUT
University Blues

ALL DRESSED UP
The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

Where They Were, on That Day


ASSIGNMENT: My New York

Write your own "My New York" story. Write about a part of your life in this city: Something that happened, some memory, some group of friends, something that took place in a specific neighborhood or place. Capture it in a bottle, like the Sandman did in "Ramadan." We can capture a moment like that through vivid and compelling writing.

Remember, New York City is any place within the five boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx and Staten Island. New York City also includes the "Other Islands," such as Roosevelt Island, Riker's Island, Ward’s and Randall's Island, Ellis Island, and Governor's Island.

You will write a first draft of your essay. It should be approximately two typed pages (Times New Roman 12 point font, 1.5 line spacing). That should be about four handwritten pages, written on 8.5 x 11 paper in normal-sized handwriting. Then, in your second draft, you will express yourself using more sophisticated vocabulary and descriptive imagery to enhance your story.

What Studying Is All About

As you read the Christopher Sorrentino piece, you'll need to develop the kind of study skills that you're going to use in college. When you encounter a word you don't know, you'll need to use all your available tools to figure it out. Use contextual clues, breaking the word down into parts, your knowledge of Latin-based languages, and your familiarity with cultural references to understand the meaning of the sentences and paragraphs that you are reading. You may also need to use a dictionary. Remember: the task is to FULLY understand what you are reading, not merely to get the general gist or sense of it.

When you get to college you will be sitting next to students who read The New York Times or literature on its level on a regular basis. It is not enough to just get a sense of what is being given to you. In order to really do well, you need to make it your business to fully understand what you're reading. You cannot really talk or write about what you have read unless you fully understand it. It's that simple! So use this exercise to develop those reading skills that you're going to need in college. Do whatever it takes to understand the reading material that's given to you. It may take more time, but you'll find it's more satisfying and rewarding than skimming, skipping, and not really "getting it". You'll understand your classes better, and you'll do better in school. It's what studying is all about.

My New York

PART ONE:
Author Christopher Sorrentino wrote an article in New York Times, and then interviewed ten 17-year-olds from various neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs of New York City, asking them to describe their experiences as New Yorkers.
Read about Christopher Sorrentino's New York:
When He Was Seventeen
By CHRISTOPHER SORRENTINO

Read for understanding. Circle and then figure out the meaning of the words that you don't know. If you need to look them up, then do so. You can also break the word into parts or figure out the meaning from contextual clues.

When you understand the subtle differences between words you understand their specific meanings. Words, like people, are nuanced. They have their own geography: each word has its own unique meaning.

"Ramadan" by Neil Gaiman

We read "Ramadan" by Neil Gaiman. The class identified vocabulary words: those words that they did not know. Then we looked them up.

There are many, many online dictionaries. They define words differently. Your assignment is to look up five words from the list below on at least three different web sites, and then write down a definition of each, IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

How do you know a web site is reputable (good, reliable)? How do you know it's a good place to find definitions? You can judge a website by the following measure: 1) Is the source a known entity that is famous for its accuracy and knowledge on that particular subject (for instance, mit.edu would probably be a good web site for math and science information, because we know the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the foremost math and science university in the country)? or 2) You've gone to "About Us" or "Contact Us" and you see that the people who created the website have the proper credentials for their content.

On your paper, make sure you list which three web sites you went to when you looked up your three definitions. If you encounter a definition that is unclear, go to a dictionary web site that does a better job for you in defining the word. Also, make sure the version of the definition you pick matches the context of the story. Sometimes the definition with which we are most familiar is NOT the one meant in the story.

Which words are plural nouns? In the case of verbs, what form of the verb is it? Is the verb in the past tense? Which words are adverbs? When looking up a word, it's best to find a root form of the word and look that up.
The words the class identified are as follows:
cadi (qadi)
caliph
concubine
consummate
coveted
darting
devising
dirham
djinn
durance
ennobling
ensorcelled
fief
geomancer
harem
hennaed
hitherto
homunculi
ifrit
ingenious
labyrinth
laden
merciful
obsidian
oubliettes
peremptorily
pomegranates
prodigy
promiscuous
remnants
sagacity
sage
savory
scribes
steward
veiled
venerate
vermilion
vizier
wanton
ware

Initial Writing Assessment for Cycle 4

Read "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. We understand that "Two roads diverg[ing] in a yellow wood" is a metaphor for the choices one is presented with in life. What road have you taken in life, the one "less traveled," or the one more people have gone down? Why? Write a two page essay describing your choice: why you made it and to what it has lead.

Welcome to College Writing, Spring Semester 2010, Cycle 4.

In this class you will learn grammar, spelling and punctuation rules and routines so that they become fully integrated into your writing. Today we spoke about the requirements for passing this class. They can be viewed in the Syllabus. Most notably, in order to pass this class you must complete ALL required assignments. All written work is to be done in class. I do not accept written work done at home, unless it is specifically designated as homework. Also, please be aware of your attendance. Excessive absence will result in your being unable to complete the work and attain credit.