Sample Works Cited

The following two citations are samples of what your works cited page at the end of your reflection essay should look like.  You will be citing your own research.  Because the website for the class is not up, please use the URL for the course as a marker.

Works Cited

Caicedo, Jose. "La Casa De Tula." Imagination Federation. 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. [http://imaginationfederation.org]. 

Pastran, Jose. "Everyday Scenery: A Photographic Essay." Imagination Federation. 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. [http://imaginationfederation.org].

Resource:  http://www.easybib.com/

Uploading Photo Essay

A number of you have asked about uploading your photo essay and interview.  I set up a space on our website to help us do that.  Here's a short presentation that will walk you through the steps.

I failed to mention in the screencast that the username needs to be  in lower case letters.  Upload your work by the time we get to class on Thursday.

Verb Tenses

I mentioned in class that I would be assigning some grammar work for this week.  Here's the link to the screencast explaining what I'd like for you to do.  Please have this work done by next Thursday.

For those of you who could not be in class for Rosa Ojeda's presentation, I'm posting a video of a talk she gave earlier in the week.  Please watch and also share with friends.  We need lots of help for Shanty event. If  you watch the video, you will understand.

More on Profiles

I've almost finished reading all of the field notes from Tuesday's class.  I'm impressed at how much more detailed these are than the ones from the previous week.  Good work!

In class on Tuesday, we spoke a bit about profiles; I wanted to share a couple of samples.  As you read these, take note of how the authors create tension in the texts.  In the first example, Alan Feur of The New York Times writes about Sharpe James, the former mayor of Newark and his journey home after serving part of a 27 month sentence in a Virginia federal prison.  Read the article and the photo essay that accompanies it.  Take note of the details in this piece and how they work to draw the reader in while providing an insight into the life of a public official.  

Sharpe James's Greyhound Journey

In the second piece, the profile is embedded within the larger informative text.  Notice how the audio slideshow is used to get the actual voices of the two young people profiled to the audience.  The use of image and sound humanizes the text by allowing the audience to hear and see.  

Foster Kids Face Tough Times after Age 18

Once again, think about your interviews and your photo essays and ask yourself what particular story you want to tell.  Look for the contradictions and bring in the voices of those you are profiling.  Everyone has a story to tell!

No Fooling Around!

Exploring Metaphors and Similes

• Purdue Writing Lab Handout

In small groups, rewrite the following sentences and use a metaphor to help the reader better experience the description.

• We saw many people walking in the street; many of them were smoking cigarettes. Others were wearing perfumes.
• To be honest, she was kind of fat, but she danced well.
• I tried some quesadillas chilangas; they were not spicy at all and they were really good.
• I tried an “Horchita” for the first time in my life, and I think it was different but good.
• The cigars at the cigar shop smelled like tobacco of course, but all of them had a different kind of smell to them.

More on the Field Notes
Is there a story in this detail?

Examples:

• Old lady who owns Luis Pharmacy and how she has kept the pharmacy exactly as her late husband, Luis, liked it.
• The observation that in Hispanic homes one finds a cabinet full of glass ornaments and china porcelain dolls.

Bus Project Presentations

Homework
Click on the right bottom part of the video to see the instructions regarding MyComplab. The work is due by Thursday, April 8.  Don't leave it for last!

• Read pages 73 through 83 in Telling True Stories.
• Reviews are due by Wednesday.  Use the Dropbox.

Up Ahead (Deadlines)

We turn the corner this week and pick up the pace.  Here are some important dates and assignments:

April 8--The second and third reviews are due.
April 15--Photographic essay of neighborhood and first video interview of area resident.
April 22--Analysis of neighborhood challenge and second video interview of area resident.
April 27--Annotated reflective essay.

Keep in mind that the reviews are individual efforts.

The photographic essay should have at least 20-30 images and at least 250 words of text to accompany the images.  Use the images and the text to tell a particular story of your section of Calle Ocho.  Use a simple and unformatted PowerPoint file to create your story.

• Tips
• Sample

Your video interviews should not be more than five minutes long.  This means that you will have to record more than five minutes and edit the video to the five minute length.  Think how these interviews will help visitors to our project page to better understand and "feel" your section of Calle Ocho.  Videos should be saved to a DVD disc for me to later upload to our project page.

The analysis of the neighborhood essay is an opportunity to focus on one particular challenge that your group identified.  Aim for an examination that is sharp and critical.  The text should be no less than five pages long; feel free to incorporate the research you have done in your bus report.

Your last essay is a reflection paper which you will complete on your own.  The aim of this paper is to bring together what you have learned as a writer and investigator by looking back at the different projects you have put together.  You will need to have at least five sources.

Next Stop!

Class Activities

We will take time today to share the stories that developed out of last week's interviews.  Let's share these with care, as we know that each person is a sacred universe, one that at its core is mysterious and unnamable. I'd like for the dyads to reconnect and listen to the stories and offer constructive commentary.  After sharing, I'd like for each person to write a one to three  paragraph reflection of the interview, story writing, and sharing experience.

I also want you to share your bus notes as a group.  Your task before the end of class is to create one group report from the notes and observations from our bus trip and subsequent discussion.  I'd like for you to include a graphic (a table, pie chart, or some other visual) that takes into account 2000 Census statistics on your particular section of Calle 8.  Make sure that your report provides more than 'facts'.  Include reasonable interpretation based on the information and observations.  I'd like for you to send me your report.  Include everyone's name on your paper.  Have it to me by Thursday, March 25.

Homework

1. Determine who is going to review what in your group.  Plan your approach for Tuesday's class.  You will be able to work on your section of the street from 11:15 to 1:00 pm.  We will meet in class at 1:10 pm for a check in.  (I will provide a check-in grade for everyone that makes it back and provides a productive report.) Don't leave class today without planning accordingly with your team.
2. Read pages 30-45 in Telling True Stories.  Pay close attention; take notes.