Read Chapter 2 of Writing from Sources (WFS) and the essay by Carl Singleton on pp. 192 - 94. You might also want to look at Chapter 2 of TSIS, especially the list of verbs at the end.
Write a paragraph summarizing Singleton's argument in the essay. Don't agree or disagree until the last sentence of the paragraph. Simply summarize his point of view. Be objective in your tone, language, and content.
Try to use and CORRECTLY introduce SHORT quotations from the essay when you think Singleton does a better job of writing his point of view than you can, but don't overdo it. Don't let Singleton do your writing for you.
Your paragraph should take the following form, which more or less follows the instructions given in WFS:
1. Summarize the main argument. Don't forget to work in Singleton's full name and the title of the essay. A typical template for that first sentence might be as follows. In [title of the essay], [author's full name] [verb from the list in TSIS] that [the author's main argument/ thesis].
2. Summarize the supporting arguments, each in their turn. Exclude examples and details for now. Just summarize the main supporting arguments. Use transitions to indicate the flow of the argument and the fact that Singleton and not you is arguing.
Here, you'll need to understand the underlying organizational principle of the essay. Writers don't always make them obvious. Use your understanding of that organizational principle to structure your summary.
3. State the underlying principle present in Singleton's essay -- the idea that makes the argument go. You can think of it as your or Singleton's thesis, but it is often unstated. Think of it as the idea that you will either defend or refute in subsequent paragraphs in the body of an essay that follows this introductory summary.
4. Finally, state your point of view as a response to Singleton's point of view. You will either be defending, refuting, or finding some middle ground.
WFS gives you excellent instructions on how to determine these matters. Use them.
Bring a copy of PA#7 to class on Friday, 2/10. Blog it by 5 PM on Thursday 2/9. I'm giving you some extra time on this one. Don't procrastinate.
In “What our Education System Needs is More F’s”, Carl Singleton insists that schools are passing kids who haven’t actually grasped the material, therefore teachers should be giving more F’s. Singleton says that giving more F’s would cause parents to be more involved and have to take more responsibility for their child’s failure, would make principles, school boards, and voters spend more money to help the children who are not passing, and make teachers try harder with their teaching methods so that the failed student would actually be able to grasp the subject. Singleton emphasizes the giving of more F’s to remind the students, teachers, parents, school board, and everyone else that students that don’t get the material will not pass and will have to try harder in school. However, kids who come from a rough area or rough family either won’t have the proper support from their family to do better or won’t want to do better in the first place. For this reason, I question Singletons predicted outcomes of failing more kids.
ReplyDeleteIn “Writing From Sources”, Carl Singleton writes that students should be given more F’s, until they fully understand the material. For today’s kids, it’s becoming a lot easier for them to get better grades, while learning less material. Also, it doesn’t help that some teachers today are barely qualified if at all to be teaching. He believes if that students get more F’s, then the school boards will have to improve the educational system, so the students can get a good education. I think that what he is saying is true. School boards today only think about money and how much they can get by doing the least amount possible. Also, if there students have better grades on paper, then the school gets more money than they actually deserve. School boards are cheating the system and finding easier ways to make more money than they deserve and it needs to be stopped.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading “ What Our Education System Needs Is More F’s” by Carl Singletons , he argues how he believes that the present education system is lacking in merit because of the underuse of ‘F’ grades. Singleton suggests that giving failing grades will force america to realize and assess the major problems that flaw our education system. Also Singleton insist that our school system gives passing grades that were not earned. He elaborates on this by stating teachers give students D’s when they deserve F’s, and as the school system kept getting progressively worse D’s became C’s for just showing up to class. Singletons last argument emphasize the fact of cost for each failing students to the school districts, would demand more out of the teachers and make teachers self evaluate. Singleton advocates More earned F’s in the school system would cause more to be held back and force america to figure out the problem in its education system. After reading Singletons paper there is no denying that this would be an effective way to bring awareness to the education problem but wouldn't help solve the issues directly regardless of the amount of F’s given out.
ReplyDeleteIn “What Our Education System Needs Is More F’s, Carl Singleton argues that one way to improve the education system is to give students that are not learning and mastering the material in any given subject a F. By a widespread giving of F’s Singleton believes parents of the failing students will become more involved in their kids education and push them to succeed, save schools money because they will not have to accommodate for the struggling students, and lastly he writes that it will push teaching methods and test procedures to be of a higher standard. Singleton states that if we don’t start failing those who have not learned the required material then we are making everything more difficult for the students and for the teachers. While I do agree that teachers should be strict with grades to help motivate and push students to do their best, I don’t agree that teachers should fail every student that has not yet mastered the required material.
ReplyDeleteIn "What Our Education System is More F's" By Carl Singleton, He states that schools are passing too many kids who don't understand or comprehend the material. So teachers instead of passing them should actually be failing them or giving them F's. He believes by doing this school boards will put more money into the school system, parents will start taking an active approach in their kids education, and teachers will work harder and find new methods of teaching to help these failing students understand the material. While he is correct that there is a problem in our educational system, I do not believe giving out F's is the solution. I believe that by failing more students there will be a major increase in the number of students who drop out and don't get a degree at all
ReplyDeleteIn “What our education system needs is more F’s,” Carl Singleton states that the reason for a great amount of illiteracy in students on the education system not failing enough students. Singleton believes that if more students were sent home with F’s it would force the parents to show concern in their children’s lives. Also, Singleton writes that giving F’s to more students would cause the “principals, school boards, and voters” to raise the standard of the education system. Lastly, Singleton says more F’s will require teachers to teach their classes at the highest literacy level, making tests and class presentations more difficult. Overall, Singleton distinguishes teachers and professors not failing more students as a direct cause of the low literacy level of students nowadays. In my opinion, students should be held at a higher expectation and graded harder, but failing more students is not the correct course of action. This would cause too many students to drop out of school early in their academic careers, leaving them with a dim future. Therefore, I think a better way to increase literacy is to demand more from students and to have teachers grade more sternly.
ReplyDeleteIn “What our Education System Needs Is More F’S”, the author Carl Singleton argues that the America's education system is broken and the only way to fix it is by handing out more F’s. In today's day and age to many students are passing classes that they should be failing. By giving students a failing grade when they don’t understand the material, it will force the parents to become more engaged in their children's schoolwork. By handing out more failing grades it will also set a higher standard for teaches and test grades. If more F’s are given to students that deserve them, it will force the student to be held back until he has finally mastered the material. I agree with Singleton on his opinion, and believe more students should get more F’s.
ReplyDeleteIn “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” Carl Singleton insists that the best way to improve education in America would be to fail students who have not yet fully understood the content and the standards of the class. Singleton argues that many students who should have failed, passed their classes. Singleton also believes that failing deserving students will inspire their parents to become more involved in their child’s education, promoting the parents to motivate their children to work more on their schoolwork. In addition, Singleton believes that a failed student is a failed teacher, and states that his way of thinking will improve teaching standards. Giving students the grades they truly deserve would lead to a better educational system and more informed students. Although I do agree with Singleton’s argument that students should only receive the grade they earned, I believe there is a middle ground that can be reached to help students earn a passing grade so they do not have to be failed. Failing students would push them to be more dedicated to their studies and put more effort into their schooling, but this is not the only option for students to do better in their studies. There should be more tutoring options and parent involvement for the students who struggle so instead of being failed they can have help to achieve a passing grade they deserve.
ReplyDeleteIn “What our Education System Needs is more F’s” , Carl Singleton talks about how the education system needs to push students to learn and master the material instead of allowing kids to slip through without having done so. He insists that teachers should hand out more F’s to motivate students to master the material and ,also, to have the parents motivate their kids to put more effort into their school work. This would also have teachers working harder to make sure that students that have learned the material stay on track and catch the other students up to the students. If teachers were to hand out more F’s, this would save schools money because they would not have spent money for students that have accommodations. However, this would depend on the students motivation and if the parents cared about their child's school work. Some students do not care if they fail or they pass and some parents, considering the environment the child is in, do not support the children the way they should.
ReplyDeleteIn What Our Education Needs Is More F’s, Carl Singleton insist that giving more F’s to students that don’t master the material is good thing for our educational system. The author mentions how F’s would first open the eyes of parents, and the school board of education. Secondly he states parents could change their approach on the way they handle their child, by reducing T.V, and more time on homework. Also he mentions F's would "Force principals, school board, and voters to come to terms with cost as a factor in improving our educational system." Meaning getting teachers that are able to enforce giving a student a F, if the student doesn't master the material properly. Although Singleton say things that are questionable, I love how he says, “insisting on respecting the line between passing and failing would also require us to demand as much of ourselves as of our students. As every teacher knows, a failed student could be the product of a failed teacher." This statement was the breaking barrier because things contradict. If a teachers went through the same process as students, and did not master the material how can Singleton expect students to do it? So therefore I disagree with his whole claim because if you think about the world we live in today, to much enforcement isn't good because it gives power. It gives the teachers the ability to make or break you just as Police Officers have the ability to stab or shoot you.
ReplyDeleteIn the essay “What our education system needs is more F’s”, by Carl Singleton, the author highlights the solutions to the problems associated with the American education system. He mainly supports this idea by saying that in order to fix the education system we need to have more strict marking and fail students more frequently so the problems of the education system surface up. He then argues this idea by saying that when students will fail their classes their parents will eventually be concerned and give more attention to their children’s studies and the children will study more. Another stakeholder the writer addresses is the school’s administration. When more students fail, the teachers and principal will be concerned by their school’s failure and will eventually have to make a better curriculum or get rid of poor teachers and staff members . The underlying idea behind the author’s thesis is that currently most of the high school’s get away with having bad teachers and not producing students of high caliber because every single student graduates high school and it gives the impression that the schools here are so good that everyone understands the curriculum and gets the required grades. But when less amount of students will graduate the government will be concerned they will have to look into the problem more cohesively and then solve it. I to an extent agree with the author that when more students will fail the problem will be looked at by the state and they will have to solve it. However, having such a strict marking policy could result in students taking a lot of stress regarding studies and this could physically and mentally disturb them.-TAIMUR IFTIKHAR
ReplyDeleteErica VanHoose
ReplyDeleteProfessor Burns
Paragraph Assignment #7
9 February 2017
F’s in Education
In What Our Education System Need is More F’s, Carl Singleton suggests that giving students F’s until they master the material is the first step towards solving the problems of American education. He believes it will increase the literacy of high school and college students because students will be required to understand the material in order to graduate. In addition, Singleton suggests that this method will demand the parents, the teacher, and the child to put more effort into making sure the child gets a good education. The point is, until improvements are made that get everyone to understand that you must work for what you want, other major improvements will have no effect on improving the education system. Although Singleton’s method could be beneficial to the education system, their are better ways to go about solving the problems of American education. It is important to work for what you want, however, getting an F seems depressing rather than motivating.