School of Liberal Arts

The City College

of San Francisco

English Department

Newsletter

Fall 2004 

December 59.4

From Jana Zanetto--

Four ESL instructors will be demonstrating how to teach students specific proofreading techniques (checking sentence structure, verb use, adjective clauses) and a proofreading checklist for student work  on Friday, 1/14 from 2:15-4:15 pm in Arts 309. "Instructors of both English and ESL face the challenge of making students become aware of and responsible for identifying and correcting mistakes in their written work. Even though instructors often remind their students to proofread, students may not know how to proofread effectively. Research shows that students learn proofreading skills most effectively when they are actually demonstrated, rather than just suggested. Workshop presenters will demonstrate effective proofreading techniques for helping students improve their sentence-level control when they write."

English 94, 96, and 1A instructors should refer current students whom they have identified as needing extra work in vocabulary and reading comprehension to English 19. In addition, instructors in these classes should plan on giving the RFU3 test during the first week to identify students who can benefit from taking both a reading and a composition class concurrently. Students who score between 25 and 32 are recommended to take English 19.

In the spring, the department will offer four sections of English 19:

If you have questions regarding the course materials and curriculum in English 19, send an email to Deanne Spears at dkspears@ccsf.edu.

Where’s Waldo?  by Publius

When asked about the solidarity offered to our brother and sister worm framers in Peru, English Professor Joe Smoothé said he thinks our union’s efforts are beyond the call of duty.  “I was hoping that we, like many other colleges, might have on-campus child care for faculty, but we must think of the worms.  Maybe I should mail next month’s $1500 daycare fee to the worm farmers.  I feel terrible.  Oh well, I was probably going to have to find an extra job anyway to make my rent and car payment next month.”  Ironically, for Angler, such marches are also about the children, the children who depend on Peruvian worms every day.

Barely able to speak after lecturing in moldy Bungalow 313, Mona Strep, a new English 96 instructor, could barely contain her excitement.  “It’s bit hard for me to speak because I strained my voice yelling over the teacher lecturing in the bungalow across kitty litter alley, but it’s about time somebody fought for Peru's worm farmers.  When my class wrote an essay on China’s worm imports, 33 out of 35 students—I call them ‘authors’—supported Angler’s march.”  Strep is hopeful that Angler will lecture her 96 class about his global fight for our brother and sister worm farmers, but at last request he was apprehensive about inhaling too many mold spores or tripping on an OSHA-violating floor outlet in Strep’s bungalow classroom. 

Meanwhile some faculty members complain that their Delta Dental insurance barely covers their dental needs and that many of their prescriptions now require a $25 co-pay as opposed to the $5-10 co-pay for the same pills a few years ago, but the worm farmers of Peru face a much harsher health care system.  “We can’t just fight for Safeway and Hotel workers,” Angler declared.  “Our local union must think more globally.  How can we fight for City College faculty and strengthen our contract when nobody’s fighting for the Peruvian worm farmers and exporters.  Nobody’s marching for the Chinese and Australian Peruvian worm importers.  In fact, I was the only one marching.  What does that tell you?”