Bedford Reading for 9/28

For the next class meeting, this Tuesday, please have read the following excerpt from the Hacker text: pages 118-129. This section, Section 6, deals with how one must evaluate another's argument for, as the text states, "logic and fairness" (Hacker 118).

Be sure to read this section closely, looking for key terms and headings as you make your way through the text. Much like there are many Rhetorical Devices which help us formulate and structure our writing, there are numerous aspects of writing (especially expository and argumentative writing) that demand to be evaluated for rationality, accuracy, and so on. We will be doing Exercise 6-1 in class Tuesday, so you may wish to look over this closely before we meet as well.

I am providing today's in-class handout of pages 86-103 a second time because I cannot stress enough the importance of this section of The Bedford Reader. Here you will find detailed descriptions of the following important skills needed to succeed in your writing for this class and many (if not most or all) of your academic courses:

1. Guidelines for active reading (cf. p.87)
2. Annotating the text as you read it (cf. p. 86, 88)
3. Outlining the examined text's thesis and main points in your own words (cf. p.90f)
4. Summarizing the text (cf. p.93)
5. Analyzing the text (cf. p.95)

Furthermore, I highly encourage you to read over the sample student essay by Emilia Sanchez. This appears on pages ninety-eight through one-hundred. This example will undoubtedly prove helpful as you begin to draft your first paper which is due next Thursday.

Happy reading.

Ellison Reading

I have scanned the Ellison text in full and am providing it here. Please download this short story and print it so that you can annotate the text as you read it. It is mandatory that you bring this to class on Thursday.

Remember to try to think and read actively as we discussed in class. Hacker offers her readers some excellent advice regarding active reading skills on page eighty-seven of The Bedford Handbook.

Should you wish to perform a timing at home to see how many words per minute you average when you read, here's how:

1. Count the number of words per line of text. Do this for the first three or four lines so that you can establish a rough average (e.g., twelve words per line).
2. Mark your beginning point, set a timer for one minute, and start reading!
3. When the timer signals a minute has expired, mark your ending point. Even if you have read only one or two words on a new line, you should count this as your last line read. 
4. Count the number of lines you read and multiply the result by the average you obtained earlier (e.g., sixteen lines read, times twelve words per line, equals one-hundred ninety-two; 16 x 12 = 192).
5. Your goal is to achieve a higher score each time you perform this activity. Three-hundred to three-hundred and fifty words per minute is the speed at which the average adult reads; therefore, you should strive to reach this benchmark. This may indeed take time, but remember that active reading is a skill like any other: it must be learned, honed, and perfected through continual practice. Recall that you may use your hand or pencil to perform the "underlining technique" as you read. This helps you remain focused and will therefore aid in your ability to both read quickly and to absorb and retain the information you encounter. 

Enjoy the strange and grotesque, yet meaningful, short story you will be reading. Have a good weekend. See you in class Thursday.