Specific (example: achieve a higher ESL level)
Measurable (example: from A0 to A1)
Achievable (example: not A0 to B2)
Relevant (example: all of my classmates are at least at A1)
Time (example: by February 2024)
30/10/2023
26/10/2023
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Good Morning!
Today in Class
- Complete the assessment
- As soon as you receive the email message with the results, forward the message to misslee.imh@gmail.com.
Project 5 Scenario Rehearsals
In order of most to least cast members
24/10/2023
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Good Morning!
Today in Class
Project 6: College & Career
COLLEGE
Today in class:
- Those who haven't yet: Send Email to Professor
Here´s a template you can follow in constructing your email to a professor. Each element is explained further below.
Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],
This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].
I´m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I´ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I´m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].
Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10],
Favorite Student
Element #1: Salutation
Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. Use “Dear,” or if that feels horrifically formal to you, you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it. See note about exceptions below.)
Element #2: Honorific
Address your professor as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word professor in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they are inhabiting the role of Professor and can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that they don’t require you to know anything about your professor’s gender identity or marital status.
Element #3: Name
You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people. It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, it’s probably Google-able too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.
Element #4: Meaningless Nicety
It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life. Professors like it when you see them as people who have lives outside of their classroom. It doesn’t really matter what you say here, it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts.
Element #5: Reminder of how they know you
This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. If there’s something distinctive about you that would jog their memory and make them look upon you fondly, include that. For instance, “I stayed after class to ask you about the reading that one time,” or “I sit in the front row and have blue hair,” whatever. If you haven’t met them yet, explain your desired relationship to them, such as “I am interested in enrolling in your class next semester.” If you’re fairly certain they will know you by name, you can leave this out.
Element #6: The real reason for your email
This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail or sounding like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet with the professor in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” If they can’t meet and just want to discuss it over email, they’ll let you know.
Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person
There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors by students are seeking information that has already been communicated by the professor. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus and your notes (and the class website if there is one) to see if your question has indeed been answered there. It doesn’t hurt to ask someone else from the class too — this is why you should try to get a least one classmate’s phone number or email address during the first week. If you’ve actually done all these things and you still have a question, then your contacting the professor will actually provide helpful information to them that they might not have been clear about something.
If you can try to answer your own question, and you turn out to be right, that saves them a little bit of time in their response. For instance, if you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.
Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request
If you’re asking a question you need an answer to, you can say something like “If you could let me know at your earliest convenience, I’d really appreciate it.” If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.
Element #10: Sign-off
If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.
The hidden Element #11: The follow-up
If your professor hasn’t responded to your email, you can send a gentle follow-up. You can format the follow-up using all the elements here, but you can add in “Just following up on my previous email,” right before you get to Element #6. You don’t have to rub it in that they forgot to email you back, they will get the point (and if they genuinely forgot, they might feel bad). If they were not emailing you back on purpose, you probably already annoyed them the first time around, and you might as well be as polite as possible with the follow-up. When is it safe to send a follow-up reminder? You have to gauge this based on how quickly they usually respond to things and how dire your need for a response truly is. If it can wait a week, let it wait a week (or until you see them in person).
By the end of class today, send an email to me, Professor Hoffman at hoffmal@arc.losrios.edu. The email must meet the above criteria. In the subject line, write "prospective student" and in the email request information about American River College.
ASSIGNMENT due by 9:00 am, Monday, November 6:
UPCOMING:
- Write a College Admissions Essay using the following format
- 12-point Times New Roman font
- double-spaced lines
- 1 inch margins
- No less than 250, no more than 300 words
- Structure:
- Event or experience
- How it affected you (positive and/or negative impact on you)
- How you responded (your actions that resulted from the event)
- What you learned
- Due date: 9:00 am, Monday, November 6, 2023
- See College Admissions Essay Rubric below (email misslee.imh@gmail.com to request a Word doc version)
- Refer to these videos for assistance
- English 101 Essay OUTLINE
- Email to Student Support (counseling, financial aid, admissions...)
- Use the same format as for a professor
- The main reason I want to cover this is because you need to know 1) that it´s important to ask for help, 2) that help exists, and 3) how to find it.
- An email requesting support or assistance may be significantly more personal than an email to your professor. Try your best to provide enough information without oversharing. Your message will be kept confidential. However, be aware that campus employees may be mandated to report instances of potential harm to self or others.
CAREER
- Resume
- Cover letter
- Promotional announcement
- Employee memo
- Customer service response
20/10/2023
Monday, October, 2023
Good Morning!
Today in Class
Project 6: College & Career
COLLEGE
Catch up: If you have not already completed these two exercises, please submit them via email to misslee.imh@gmail.com by 5:00 pm today, Monday, October 23, 2023
1. Prep for College Admissions Essay: Feelings & Needs Exercise
2. Top Universities in Mexico Exercise - Over 527 universities listed
- Is your chosen school on the list?
- Research using the sort by: and filter by: tools
- Explore at least three of the universities listed by clicking on the name of the school
- Send me an email by 5:00 pm, Monday, October 23 with the following information:
- Names of the three universities you explored
- Which of them, if any, is the one you have chosen to attend
- Your three most important criteria for choosing a university (examples: best program, lowest cost, ideal location...)
- Describe how each of the three universities you explored meets those criteria
- What surprised you about each university?
- What information do you want to know more about that each university did not seem to provide?
Today in class: How to Structure Your College Admissions Essay
- Choose a Topic. For example:
- Opening paragraph: A challenge you have faced
- Paragraph 2: how it impacted you
- Paragraph 3: what you did about it
- Closing paragraph: what you have learned because of it
OR
- Opening paragraph: describe a skill or hobby you have and how it's connected to an important aspect of you
- Paragraph 2: how it's connected to another important aspect of you
- Paragraph 3: how it's connected to another important aspect of you
- Closing paragraph: how these aspects of you will help you succeed in college
ASSIGNMENT due two weeks from today:
- Write a College Admissions Essay using the following format
- 12-point Times New Roman font
- double-spaced lines
- 1 inch margins
- No less than 250, no more than 300 words
- Structure:
- Event or experience
- How it affected you (positive and/or negative impact on you)
- How you responded (your actions that resulted from the event)
- What you learned
- Due date: 9:00 am, Monday, November 6, 2023
- See College Admissions Essay Rubric below (email misslee.imh@gmail.com to request a Word doc version)
- Refer to these videos for assistance
- English 101 Essay OUTLINE
- Email to Professor
Here´s a template you can follow in constructing your email to a professor. Each element is explained further below.
Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].I´m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I´ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I´m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10],Favorite Student
Element #1: Salutation
Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. Use “Dear,” or if that feels horrifically formal to you, you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it. See note about exceptions below.)
Element #2: Honorific
Address your professor as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word professor in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they are inhabiting the role of Professor and can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that they don’t require you to know anything about your professor’s gender identity or marital status.
Element #3: Name
You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people. It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, it’s probably Google-able too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.
Element #4: Meaningless Nicety
It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life. Professors like it when you see them as people who have lives outside of their classroom. It doesn’t really matter what you say here, it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts.
Element #5: Reminder of how they know you
This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. If there’s something distinctive about you that would jog their memory and make them look upon you fondly, include that. For instance, “I stayed after class to ask you about the reading that one time,” or “I sit in the front row and have blue hair,” whatever. If you haven’t met them yet, explain your desired relationship to them, such as “I am interested in enrolling in your class next semester.” If you’re fairly certain they will know you by name, you can leave this out.
Element #6: The real reason for your email
This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail or sounding like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet with the professor in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” If they can’t meet and just want to discuss it over email, they’ll let you know.
Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person
There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors by students are seeking information that has already been communicated by the professor. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus and your notes (and the class website if there is one) to see if your question has indeed been answered there. It doesn’t hurt to ask someone else from the class too — this is why you should try to get a least one classmate’s phone number or email address during the first week. If you’ve actually done all these things and you still have a question, then your contacting the professor will actually provide helpful information to them that they might not have been clear about something.
If you can try to answer your own question, and you turn out to be right, that saves them a little bit of time in their response. For instance, if you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.
Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request
If you’re asking a question you need an answer to, you can say something like “If you could let me know at your earliest convenience, I’d really appreciate it.” If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.
Element #10: Sign-off
If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.
The hidden Element #11: The follow-up
If your professor hasn’t responded to your email, you can send a gentle follow-up. You can format the follow-up using all the elements here, but you can add in “Just following up on my previous email,” right before you get to Element #6. You don’t have to rub it in that they forgot to email you back, they will get the point (and if they genuinely forgot, they might feel bad). If they were not emailing you back on purpose, you probably already annoyed them the first time around, and you might as well be as polite as possible with the follow-up. When is it safe to send a follow-up reminder? You have to gauge this based on how quickly they usually respond to things and how dire your need for a response truly is. If it can wait a week, let it wait a week (or until you see them in person).
- Email to Student Support (counseling, financial aid, admissions...)
- Use the same format as for a professor
- The main reason I want to cover this is because you need to know 1) that it´s important to ask for help, 2) that help exists, and 3) how to find it.
- An email requesting support or assistance may be significantly more personal than an email to your professor. Try your best to provide enough information without oversharing. Your message will be kept confidential. However, be aware that campus employees may be mandated to report instances of potential harm to self or others.
CAREER
- Resume
- Cover letter
- Promotional announcement
- Employee memo
- Customer service response
16/10/2023
DRAFT Project 6: Writing for College & Career
Good Morning!
Today in Class
Project 6: Writing for College & Career
COLLEGE
- College Entrance Essay
- (13:00) 3 College Essays that WORK
- (2:20) Writing A Strong College Admissions Essay
- (3:33) Avoiding Common Admissions Essay Mistakes
- English 101 Essay
- Email to Professor
Here´s a template you can follow in constructing your email to a professor. Each element is explained further below.
Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].I´m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I´ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I´m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10],Favorite Student
Element #1: Salutation
Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. Use “Dear,” or if that feels horrifically formal to you, you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it. See note about exceptions below.)
Element #2: Honorific
Address your professor as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word professor in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they are inhabiting the role of Professor and can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that they don’t require you to know anything about your professor’s gender identity or marital status.
Element #3: Name
You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people. It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, it’s probably Google-able too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.
Element #4: Meaningless Nicety
It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life. Professors like it when you see them as people who have lives outside of their classroom. It doesn’t really matter what you say here, it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts.
Element #5: Reminder of how they know you
This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. If there’s something distinctive about you that would jog their memory and make them look upon you fondly, include that. For instance, “I stayed after class to ask you about the reading that one time,” or “I sit in the front row and have blue hair,” whatever. If you haven’t met them yet, explain your desired relationship to them, such as “I am interested in enrolling in your class next semester.” If you’re fairly certain they will know you by name, you can leave this out.
Element #6: The real reason for your email
This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail or sounding like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet with the professor in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” If they can’t meet and just want to discuss it over email, they’ll let you know.
Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person
There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors by students are seeking information that has already been communicated by the professor. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus and your notes (and the class website if there is one) to see if your question has indeed been answered there. It doesn’t hurt to ask someone else from the class too — this is why you should try to get a least one classmate’s phone number or email address during the first week. If you’ve actually done all these things and you still have a question, then your contacting the professor will actually provide helpful information to them that they might not have been clear about something.
If you can try to answer your own question, and you turn out to be right, that saves them a little bit of time in their response. For instance, if you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.
Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request
If you’re asking a question you need an answer to, you can say something like “If you could let me know at your earliest convenience, I’d really appreciate it.” If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.
Element #10: Sign-off
If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.
The hidden Element #11: The follow-up
If your professor hasn’t responded to your email, you can send a gentle follow-up. You can format the follow-up using all the elements here, but you can add in “Just following up on my previous email,” right before you get to Element #6. You don’t have to rub it in that they forgot to email you back, they will get the point (and if they genuinely forgot, they might feel bad). If they were not emailing you back on purpose, you probably already annoyed them the first time around, and you might as well be as polite as possible with the follow-up. When is it safe to send a follow-up reminder? You have to gauge this based on how quickly they usually respond to things and how dire your need for a response truly is. If it can wait a week, let it wait a week (or until you see them in person).
- Email to Student Support (counseling, financial aid, admissions...)
- Use the same format as for a professor
- The main reason I want to cover this is because you need to know 1) that it´s important to ask for help, 2) that help exists, and 3) how to find it.
- An email requesting support or assistance may be significantly more personal than an email to your professor. Try your best to provide enough information without oversharing. Your message will be kept confidential. However, be aware that campus employees may be mandated to report instances of potential harm to self or others.
CAREER
- Resume
- Cover letter
- Promotional announcement
- Employee memo
- Customer service response
13/10/2023
Project 5: You Matter.
Project 5: You Matter
A collaborative class project about how each person matters
Submit Project 5 videos to this google drive by 23:59, Sunday, November 26
The compilation video will be presented in class on Thursday, December 7
Envíe un correo electrónico a misslee.imh@gmail.com para solicitar una versión Word de la Rúbrica para traducir al español.
09/10/2023
Monday, October 9, 2023
Good Morning!
Today in Class:
You Matter blog responses and next steps:
- Refer to the You Matter scenario chart below and respond to the prompts:
- In how many scenarios is your character currently participating?
- Compare the scenarios
- What do the scenarios have in common?
- What contradictions can you find?
- With or without changes, which scenario do you think best represents
- Exposition?
- Rising Action?
- Climax?
- Falling Action?
- Resolution?
- Next steps:
- Choose the scenarios for the final video
- Decide on the creative elements to bring the scenarios to life
- Practice the scenarios with all characters involved
- Set a date for video recording the scenarios
- All scenario video recordings must be submitted to this Google Drive by 23:59, November 26, 2023
- The finished video will be presented during class on Thursday, December 7, 2023
REMEMBER
- Mentor Interview Presentations this Thursday, October 12
- Review the rubric for how to earn the best grade possible
- Make sure to cover all ten questions in your presentation!
04/10/2023
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Good Morning!
Your assignment for Wednesday, October 4, 2023:
Submit a comment to this blog post, including your name, with the answers to the following questions:
- Refer to the You Matter scenario chart below
- In how many scenarios is your character currently participating?
- Compare the scenarios
- What do the scenarios have in common?
- What contradictions can you find?
- With or without changes, which scenario do you think best represents
- Exposition?
- Rising Action?
- Climax?
- Falling Action?
- Resolution?
REMEMBER
- Who Are You? Poster Presentations this Thursday, October 5 - confirmed! Remember to bring your flash drive with pdf of your poster.
- Mentor Interview Presentations next Thursday, October 12
You Matter Scenario Chart [click on the chart to enlarge]
02/10/2023
Monday, October 2, 2023
Good Morning!
CLASS TODAY
- Translators (Alexis, Cris, Marysol, Romina, Sofia) please be alert, ready to alternate with each other throughout class. Thank you!
- By 10:35 am this morning, post to the blog: How Is English Useful to You?
REMEMBER
- Who Are You? Poster Presentations this Thursday, October 5
- Mentor Interview Presentations next Thursday, October 12
ONGOING
- You Matter scenarios: before class tomorrow, review your Create A Scene blog post and come to class with at least 3 ideas for how you and your scene partners will continue to develop the scene.
How Is English Useful to You?
By 10:35 am today, please respond to this prompt in a comment to this blog post.
Describe in detail how useful English has been in the past, is in the present, and will be in the future for each of the following areas of life:
A. Self development (personal choice such as travel, hobby, talent)
B. Relationship (family, friend)
C. Financial (buying, selling, job)
D. Academic (school)
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