After CUNY English and Writing

Thank you for visiting my blog here. Although most students have found the CUNY English information to be very useful, I have even more important teachings about life (including academic life, dealing with problems in life, fitness, and spiritual life.) They could be found at:

http://SpirFit.org/Blogs

St. Nick in the Writing Center

Check out this "smashing" video of Nick on the last day of class in the writing center. It's only a minute.

CATW Exam Practice - Unlicensed Drivers

For the printable or pdf version, click here

Directions: Read this article and follow the writing instructions at the bottom.

Some Unlicensed Drivers Risk More Than a Fine

By JULIA PRESTON and ROBERT GEBELOFF
From the New York Times at nytimes.com

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — It was just another suburban fender-bender. A car zoomed
into an intersection and braked too late to stop at a red light. The Georgia woman
driving it, an American citizen, left with a wrecked auto, a sore neck and a traffic fine.

But for Felipa Leonor Valencia, the Mexican woman who was driving the Jeep that was
hit that day in March, the damage went far beyond a battered bumper. The crash led Ms. Valencia, an illegal immigrant who did not have a valid driver’s license, to 12 days in detention and the start of deportation proceedings — after 17 years of living in Georgia.

Like Ms. Valencia, an estimated 4.5 million illegal immigrants nationwide are driving regularly, most without licenses, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Only three states — New Mexico, Utah and Washington — currently issue licenses without proof of legal residence in the United States.

Many states have adopted tough new laws to prevent illegal immigrants from driving,
while expanding immigrationenforcement by the state and local police. As a result, at least 30,000 illegal immigrants who were stopped for common traffic violations in the last three years have ended up in deportation, Department of Homeland Security figures show. The numbers are rapidly increasing, aggravating tensions in the national debate over immigration.

The tensions seem likely to persist. The Senate may take up a bill next week that would give legal status to some illegal immigrant students. Its fate is uncertain, and prospects appear dim for a controversial overhaul, supported by President Obama, that would give legal status to 11 million illegal immigrants. In the absence of federal action, states are stepping in, trying their own solutions.

In Georgia, voters have been worried about unlicensed illegal immigrants whose driving skills are untested and who often lack insurance, including some who caused well publicized accidents. Lawmakers have tightened requirements to keep illegal
immigrants from obtaining licenses and license plates, and have increased penalties for driving without them.

“There are certain things you can’t do in the state of Georgia if you are an illegal
immigrant,” said State Senator Chip Rogers, a Republican who was a prime mover
behind some of the traffic measures. “One of them is, you can’t drive.”

Many Georgia counties have begun to cooperate formally with the Department of
Homeland Security, so that illegal immigrants detained by the local police are turned over more consistently to federal immigration authorities.

Still, according to The Times’s analysis, 200,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia are
driving to work daily. For them, the new laws mean that any police stop, whether for a violation that caused an accident, or for a broken taillight or another driver’s mistake, can lead to deportation. Since 2006, thousands of immigrants, mostly from Latin America, have been deported from Georgia after traffic violations, often shaking up long-settled families.

The stepped-up enforcement has been applauded by many citizens. It has also
antagonized the fast-growing Hispanic communities in and near Atlanta, where
residents say the police are singling them out for traffic stops.

Illegal immigrants say they continue to risk driving without a license in order to keep their jobs.

“We have to work to support our kids, so we have to drive,” Ms. Valencia said in
Spanish, after she was released on a $7,500 bond in late October from an immigration
detention center in Alabama to begin her legal fight against deportation. “If we drive, we get stopped by the police. The first thing they ask is, ‘Can I see your license?’ ‘Don’t have one? Go to jail.’ And from jail to deportation.”

A Sheriff Cracks Down

Not a few unlicensed Hispanic drivers are traveling the chronically congested roads here in Gwinnett County, a commuter destination northeast of Atlanta. Years of growth resulted in spreading subdivisions and state highways that converge at vast
intersections. Public bus routes are few. To get around the county, you have to go by car.

After several high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants, the sheriff, Butch Conway, a blunt-spoken lawman who rides motorcycles and breeds horses in his spare time, made it his goal to reduce their population in his jail and his county.

“Just the fact that these people committed serious crimes when they should not have
been in the country to begin with,” Sheriff Conway said, “I think that was an insult to the people of Gwinnett.”

He enrolled the detention center here in Lawrenceville, the county seat, in a program
with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency known as ICE. Under
the program, known as 287 (g), 18 of his deputies were trained to question suspects
about their immigration status when they arrive at the jail. The deputies place holds, known as detainers, on immigrants they determine to be here illegally, so when the inmates are released from the jail they can be turned over directly to ICE.

The agreement with ICE specifies that Sheriff Conway is to focus on removing “criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety or a danger to the community.” The sheriff says that should include those stopped for driving without a license.

“I find it offensive that they just thumb their nose at our laws and operate vehicles they are not licensed to operate,” he said, “on top of the fact that they are here illegally.”

String of Violations

When some Gwinnett County residents explain why they support a crackdown on illegal
immigrants, one case they cite is that of Celso Campos Duartes. Mr. Campos, a Mexican, accumulated at least five moving violations in five years, including a hit-and-run accident, before he was turned over to ICE for deportation last month through the county jail 287(g) program.

One afternoon in October 2005, Mr. Campos was driving his Ford compact down a
county road just as Aubrey Sosebee, an 82-year-old retiree, reached the black mailbox at the end of his driveway.

“The house sits way off the road, and that was his exercise every day, to walk up to get the mail and then walk back,” said Rusty Sosebee, 59, one of Mr. Sosebee’s sons.

Mr. Campos struck Mr. Sosebee, knocking him to the pavement. Witnesses told the
police that Mr. Campos tried to turn his vehicle and leave but several drivers blocked his path. Mr. Campos sprinted into nearby woods, where police search dogs found him hours later.

Three of Mr. Sosebee’s children, who gathered recently to recount the accident, could not recall the events without breaking down.

“He knows all of the illegal actions that he has taken,” Rhonda Neely, 49, Mr. Sosebee’s daughter, said of Mr. Campos. “He’s more concerned with getting away and not getting caught than with my dad’s life, laying there on the road, the person he just ran over.”

Mr. Campos, though sober, was driving without a license and with plates from another
vehicle. Although insurance is mandatory in Georgia, he had none. Mr. Sosebee received no compensation from Mr. Campos for his medical care.

Mr. Sosebee never recovered from the head injury he suffered in the fall, his son Rusty said. He remained disoriented, his son said, and four months later he died.

Convicted of leaving the scene of an accident, Mr. Campos served 26 months in the
county jail. But at the end of his sentence, he walked away. He was arrested two more times for traffic offenses.

After the Sosebees learned in May, to their disbelief, that Mr. Campos was still in the country, they contacted the news media. The furor ensured that ICE would not let Mr. Campos slip away again.

In an interview in October in the Gwinnett County Detention Center, Mr. Campos, now
37, was impassive and unapologetic. “I ran to protect my life,” he said, speaking in
Spanish at a jailhouse visiting booth. “The accident had already happened, there was
nothing I could do to avoid it.”

But Mr. Campos did not dispute his eventual deportation. The residents of Georgia
“have every right to object to people who drive without a license.”

Making Their Arguments

While traffic deaths involving illegal immigrants like Mr. Campos have galvanized public opinion, it is not clear that they are increasing, even as the illegal immigrant population has surged during the last decade.

There has been no surge in the percentage of Hispanic drivers killed in accidents in
recent years, federal highway safety data show. What the data do show is that Hispanics who are involved in fatal crashes are far less likely than other drivers to have a valid license.

About 80 percent of illegal immigrants are Hispanic, according to the Pew Hispanic
Center, a nonpartisan research group.

Looming over cases like Mr. Campos’s is the question of whether illegal immigrants
should be allowed to have driver’s licenses in the first place.

Highway safety and auto insurance experts argue that licensing requires drivers to pass tests and creates an official record of their performance on the road. Licensed drivers can also be made to buy insurance.

“When you are licensed, you have proven you have some ability to drive and know the
basic safety rules,” said David Snyder, vice president of the American Insurance
Association.

Opponents focus on a different set of issues, arguing that a license is an identity
document that allows unauthorized immigrants to move about the country freely and to
gain public benefits.

“Giving someone here illegally a driver’s license is much more than giving them the
privilege of driving,” said D. A. King, president of the Dustin Inman Society, a group created in the name of a Georgia teenager who was killed in 2000 by an illegal
immigrant driver. “It is giving them the keys to the kingdom.”

Mr. King’s side is winning. Since 2006, six states that once allowed illegal immigrants to obtain licenses have changed their laws, leaving only three. Susana Martinez, the Republican governor-elect of New Mexico, has pledged to revise license laws there to deny licenses to illegal immigrants.

Georgia has never given licenses to immigrants who are here illegally. In 2008, state legislators increased the penalties for driving without a license, starting with 48 hours of mandatory jail time for a first offense and fines amounting to $700.

Now, many more unlicensed immigrants are going to jail — and from there are being
detained by immigration authorities. Some are offenders like Mr. Campos. Many others
are average drivers like Ms. Valencia.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

“I would like to be able to get a license, but I am unable to do so,” Ms. Valencia told a state judge, speaking through an interpreter in Spanish, when she appeared on Oct. 6 in a Lawrenceville courtroom for the no-license citation she received at the accident scene.

On March 11, the day the speeding Chevy hit Ms. Valencia’s vehicle, she was barely a
mile from the home she owns in a Gwinnett County development. She was on her way to
pick up her daughter, Crystal, 16, at high school to take her to a doctor’s appointment.

Ms. Valencia’s 2000 Jeep Cherokee was legally registered, inspected and insured. She
had a driver’s license she had obtained in North Carolina in 2003, when that state still granted them without proof of United States residency. It expired in 2008.

After coming to Georgia from an ox-and-plow farming village in Mexico, Ms. Valencia
had a 12-year career at a fast-food restaurant in a suburban mall, rising from hamburger flipper to cashier to assistant manager. Among her most carefully preserved possessions are two diplomas for the company’s management training courses.

Ms. Valencia, a single mother, has raised Crystal, an American citizen born in Atlanta, and an American niece, now 7, whose mother died in childbirth.

With the help of a lawyer, Ms. Valencia navigated the court hearing and was ready to
pay her fine and go home. But at the last minute, the judge ordered her to be
fingerprinted at the Gwinnett County Detention Center.

“Oh, no, my God, that’s it,” she thought. “I’m going to jail.”

When she arrived to give her fingerprints, a 287(g) deputy asked for her immigration
papers. When she had none to offer, she was sent to immigration detention in Gadsden,
Ala.

Crystal was distraught, frantically texting her mother and scouring the county court
Web site for information.

“She is the only person that’s been there for me,” Crystal said, dazed, at a relative’s house one night while her mother was in the county jail. “She shows me what decisions to make, like keep going to school, do good in school, don’t drop out.”

Crystal has been preparing to go to college to study medicine, and she could not
conceive of moving to Mexico. “To begin with,” she said, “I really don’t know that much Spanish.”

The Repercussions

“I think there’s some sad stories out there, no doubt,” Sheriff Conway said. “But my job is not taking action on sad stories.”

To date, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has signed agreements for 287(g)
programs with 72 communities across the country. It is also rolling out a more
ambitious program called Secure Communities, giving local police nationwide access to the Department of Homeland Security’s database of fingerprints. Immigrants are
checked for their legal status when they are booked.

Senior ICE officials have established priorities for these programs, with the highest being deportation of criminals convicted of major drug offenses and violent acts. Traffic violations are not among the top priorities.

Sheriff Conway takes a different position: “If they’re here illegally in the United States, they should be deported regardless of the charge.”

The results of the Gwinnett County 287(g) program reflect the sheriff’s view. During its first year, which ended Nov. 16, immigration detainers were placed on 3,034 inmates, 93 percent of them Latino. Of a total of 6,662 charges those inmates faced, 21 percent were for ICE’s high-priority crimes, like aggravated assault and child molestation. But 45 percent were for traffic violations other than driving under the influence, including 469 detainees held only for driving without a license.

The impact in this area has been deep. Vanessa Kosky, the defense lawyer who
represented Ms. Valencia, said her young practice has been overwhelmed with cases of
Hispanic immigrants arrested for driving without a license. To avoid deportation, they have clogged the courts to fight charges they once would have dispatched by paying a fine.

“These are not horrific drivers,” Ms. Kosky said. “These are not D.U.I.’s. These are not people who are putting people in danger.”

Hispanic leaders said immigrants are learning to avoid the police. Latino restaurants have lost business as their patrons choose to stay home. Attendance at Catholic churches dropped when police set up traffic checkpoints nearby.

“It’s like a persecution,” said Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, the auxiliary bishop of Atlanta.

“These laws only affect one group: the Latino community.”

Law enforcement officials point to a sharp drop this year in arrests for driving without a license. Some unlicensed immigrants are car-pooling, and some are moving elsewhere in Georgia.

“I mean, that’s success,” Sheriff Conway said. “That’s the point of the program, to
remove illegal aliens from Gwinnett County.”


Writing Directions

Read the article above and write an essay responding to the ideas it
presents. In your essay, be sure to summarize the article in your own words,
stating the author’s most important ideas. Develop your essay by identifying one
idea in the article that you feel is especially significant, and explain its
significance. Support your claims with evidence or examples drawn from what
you have read, learned in school, and/or personally experienced.
Remember to review your essay and make any changes or corrections that are
needed to help your reader follow your thinking.

Note: Although the CATW is a 90 minute test, this practice will require more than 90 minutes because the reading is a lot longer than a normal CATW reading passage. Nevertheless, this is a very good practice for the CATW exam. After this practice, the actual CATW exam may seem easier to you.


More CATW material (and material on other subjects) are available at http://spirfit.org/Academy/catw

Tweet Follow @AmadeoConstanzo


For other academic lessons, feel free to go to: http://SpirFit.org/Academy

Keywords: CATW, CUNY Assessment Test in Writing, New CUNY ACT Writing, English, rephrasing, CUNY, Kingsborough, Hunter, Baruch, CCNY, Queensborough, Brooklyn College, BMCC, writing, revising, paragraph

CATW Exam Practice

Here's a CATW Exam Practice:

http://spirfit.org/CUNY/Downloads/CATWpractice1.pdf

Preparation for CATW and Standardized Tests

This lesson has been updated.  Please find it at:

http://cunyenglish.blogspot.com/2012/08/day-and-days-before-catw-act-sat-and.html



For other academic lessons, feel free to go to:http://SpirFit.org/Academy

Another Street

There is a very important lesson or story that may change everything. This story is true with many students struggling with English writing or other academic areas. Watch the video or read the transcript at-

http://life.SpirFit.com/2010/11/your-story.html

Strategies to Improve Your Reading

Your reading ability is one of your most important abilities. For most decent jobs out there, good reading skills are crucial. A lawyer has to read hundreds of pages of legal documents per day. Doctors and researchers have to read scientific literature. Have you ever tried reading scientific or medical journal articles. They are definitely not the easiest type of reading. My point is: improving your reading skills is crucial in furthering your academic and professional career.

Below, I've provided a list of reading techniques. Practice these techniques in English labs or on your own time. They are not meant to be used last minute for a test, but they are to be practiced over a period of time. Experiment and observe what works. You may need to adjust or revise these techniques according to your individuality. After you practice and experiment enough, your reading abilities will improve which will be very useful for the rest of your college years and your career.

1. If there are reading questions, quickly read the questions once. (If they are multiple choice questions, do not read the answer choices. Read only the questions.
2. Survey or scan: Quickly read the first sentence of each paragraph and read the last paragraph.
3. Read to obtain in-depth understanding of everything the author is trying to communicate to you, the reader. Use your finger to guide you along the page. “Don’t feel you have to rush.” (Stanley D. Frank)
4. As you are reading, annotate (or mark up the reading).
There are many ways to annotate depending on what works for you. One of the simplest ways is to “sum up” each paragraph or section with a sentence or phrase on the left or right margin of the reading passage, in addition to underlining the IMPORTANT points.
If this reading is for a test, you should read it a second time and a third time (at least).
5. Write the main point of the reading in one sentence.
6. Summarize the reading. (A good summary includes all the important points, beginning with the main point of the entire reading. It will leave out the insignificant details. A good summary is as brief as possible but includes ALL the IMPORTANT POINTS).
Note: It is very probable for an English departmental final exam (in CUNY) to have a question asking you to summarize the reading.

Additional tips:
Before reading. Take a few deep breaths and enter a relaxed (yet focused and alert) state. Eliminate any fear, doubt, or worries. Know that you are intelligent and can easily understand the reading completely.

Copyright: © 2008. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Once Was; Now Am

In a brainstorming exercise in one of my workshops, I shared the following statement:

I once was on the well-worn path. Now I am on the road less traveled.

If you think you know what this means, let me know. I would be very impressed.

Restore My Sanity

Restore my sanity! Live video right now at

Additional Tips for Eng 92 Departmental Exam

To My Beloved Eng 92 Students,

At this point, you've done day one of the English departmental writing exam (from what I've been told). You are going back on Thursday for day two.

Here are some additional tips (or actually reminders, since I've mentioned them in the past, if you've been listening.) First of all, I hope that you did not forget to use the writing process (or some version of it, such as (1) pre-write/brainstorm on scrap paper, (2) write, (3) revise, reorganize, and proofread.)

Day one of the exam is essentially steps (1) and (2), brainstorm and write the essay. Day two of the exam is where you should do step (3) fill in any ideas you wish to include in your essay, revise and re-organize, and proofread.

Before you go into the second day of the exam, you should go over the reading again and see if you have any additional analyses or reactions. Make sure you have a thesis or main idea to focus your essay. Include the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. Make sure all the ideas you come up with (for the body paragraphs) are in support of your thesis.

Before going into the second day of the exam, brainstorm some more and see if you want to add any more ideas to your essay. Google if you need to. Since you don't have your essay with you, try to remember what you've written and fill in any gaps. Although you can't take additional notes into the exam, go over your new ideas (notes from brainstorm and reading reactions) until you have them well-remembered. When you get to the test (day two), you should not have to spend a lot of time trying to remember which ideas to add.

The end product of your writing should be clear to the reader. They should be well organized (as much as possible within the time limits). You should do as much revising and proofreading as possible for this desired end-result. However, you should keep an eye on time, as it is limited.

If you finish earlier, that's a bad sign. You should use all the time to keep going over your writing and proofreading, to get your writing to be as clear and as perfect as possible.

God bless.


Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at CUNY.SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Tips for English Departmental Exams

If you are one of my students, everything I’ve been teaching you have trained you to do well in these CUNY English departmental exams (if you’ve been listening and applying everything I’ve been teaching you.) Therefore, these tips are more like review than they are tips.

In the past few years, they may have changed the timing of the test or may have made some small variations in the format. However, the general principles or strategies necessary to do well in these tests have not changed. These are the strategies and principles of which I have always place primary focus in my teachings.

Depending on the English course (04,09,91,92, or 93 in Kingsborough), one of your English departmental exams will provide you with the reading prior to the test. (This is true for only one of the departmental exams, whether it is the one in mid-semester or the other one at the end of the semester. Questions or essay instructions are not provided until you get to the test.)

For the exam where you are given the reading beforehand to take home, here’s what you should do at home before going to the exam:

- Read it at least three times
- Annotate (when reading a second time) the reading to assure an in-depth understanding of the reading. Do this on the pages of the reading. Do not write notes on a separate piece of paper because you are not allowed to take a separate piece of paper to the test. You may make notes on the reading as much as you want, and take that reading to the test. One simple way of annotating is by summing up each paragraph with a phrase or sentence on the side margin next to the paragraph.
- Summarize the reading, starting the first sentence of the summary with the title, author, and the author’s main idea of the reading. (Again, do NOT write a summary on a separate piece of paper. You are not allowed to bring additional pages to the test. Write it on the back of the reading or anywhere on those pages where there’s room.)


Here are some final pointers or reminders:

- If you are given reading questions to answer on the exam, READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY.
- Keep an eye on the clock.
- For reading questions, provide only the information and thoughts from the author. In other words, answer the questions as the author would. Do not include your own opinion or knowledge outside of the reading, if you don’t want to get it wrong.
- Answer questions with complete sentences.
- One of the reading questions may ask you to summarize the reading. (This is common in departmental reading exams.) If so, write the summary including only the author’s information, knowledge, and point of view. (See “summarize the reading” section above.)
- If the exam requires you to write an essay, you should include both the author’s point of view AND your point of view (including your knowledge, opinion, and experiences). You may agree, disagree, or partially agree with the author. You have the freedom to do so in an essay.
- Here’s a final reminder of the difference between an essay and summary. Summary includes only the author's knowledge and point of view from the reading and must not include your own opinion. Essay includes both the author's knowledge and your knowledge and point of view. (I’m re-emphasizing this because you’d be surprised at how many students still didn’t get this in my past experiences, as shown in their exam performance.)
- Here’s another twist. When they ask you to write an essay, they may ask you to include a summary WITHIN your essay. If so, do exactly what they instructed, but the summary should only be a small part of your essay (such as the first BODY paragraph.) If more than 30% of your essay is a summarization of the reading, it’s not good.

A final note for my students. Do not approach me to help you with the specific reading of the exam. It is against CUNY policy for me to explain the reading to you (probably because of fairness issues for all students, in terms of the big picture.) If you open-mindedly practice and apply what I’ve been teaching you, you will do better. On the other hand, if you still cling to your old ways that do not work and you are still going down the same street, don't be surprised if you fall into a hole again (like the story I've told in class.) However, it seems to me that most of my students this semester get it. Most of you have been practicing and applying the various strategies and will continue to do so for the departmental exams.


Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at CUNY.SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

KCC Schedule Change On Tuesday

For Kingsborough students, there is a schedule variation this coming Tuesday, Oct 24. It will be a Friday schedule. In other words, you should attend your Friday classes this Tuesday, Oct 24. Tuesday (Oct 24) is a Friday schedule. You could double check on the academic calendar at http://www.kingsborough.edu/sub-registration/office_of_registrar/academic_calendar.html

This is only a courtesy reminder. Do not expect to see these reminders in the future. You should always keep an eye on the academic calendar and enter all changes (relevant to you) on your calendar.

Don't Live Someone Else's Life - Follow Your Heart

A speech by Steve Jobs given at Stanford University teaches us important life lessons. Follow your heart and don't live someone else's life. If necessary, get off the "well-worn path". "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way... to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose..." Don't settle for less than what you're meant for.

This 15 minute talk by Steve Jobs can be found at -

http://life.SpirFit.com/2010/10/follow-your-heart-dont-live-someone.html

CATW and "Nagging" Students

The following is part of an email I've sent to an English 92 professor

Prof. Parisi reminded us not to be spending much time (especially in the beginning of the semester) in ACT prep (which I agree). I usually spend two labs or so toward the end of the semester on ACT practice. It’s good that we’ve been reminded because there have been pressure from students to practice or talk about the new CATW exam.


One incident from your class stands out when two students kept asking about the new ACT, or CATW, exam. I provided the analogy of Iron Chef (a show and cooking competition on the Food Channel where 2 chefs compete to prepare a five course meal with an hour in Kitchen Stadium). I told the students that it would not help a contestant to just learn and practice for the format of that competition if they do not first learn to cook and be able to produce tasty food with pleasant presentation. If one is to just get familiar with the format of the Iron Chef competition and of Kitchen Stadium without the foundation of knowing how to cook, they would end up losing (because of horrible tasting food.) I told the students that it is the same with the CATW exam.


Although most of the students in your class understood this analogy, two of them persisted in continuously asking me about the exam and would not let me go on with the lesson I had planned for them. I was thinking that these two must be the worst cases of the “nagging mother” or the “nagging wife”, but I of course did not say that out loud. Anyway, I ended up telling them a bit more about the format of the CATW than I wanted to, but I emphasized in the end that they should first focus on improving their reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and ability to write about what they’ve read. This satisfied them and I was allowed to move on.


To the credit of the two students, they have not given me a hard time ever since. In fact, they have been very cooperative and have frequently participated in class discussions. This reminds me that I just need to feed the children a piece of candy sometimes, because these two are now very pleasant to work with.


Regarding my plans for the lab, I generally try to cover all the common concentrations for English 92 including reading comprehension (practice in annotating, summarizing,…) and writing exercises (such as free writing, concept webs, revising, paraphrasing,…) Feel free to let me know if you want me to put more focus on any specific area. Feel free to provide me with materials, but I also have lots of material from the Writing Center and from my own collection.


Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at CUNY.SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Academic Calendar

Looking at the academic calendar is one of the most important things to do at the beginning of every semester. This applies to all students, tutors, faculty, and staff members. Links to CUNY academic calendars can be found below. Please find the correct one for your college.

Baruch College Academic Calendar
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/registrar/due_dates.htm

BMCC Academic Calendar
http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/calendar/academic_calendar.jsp

CCNY
http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/current/registrar/calendar/index.cfm

Hunter College Academic Calendar
http://registrar.hunter.cuny.edu/subpages/academic_calendar.shtml

Kingsborough Community College Academic Calendar
http://www.kingsborough.edu/sub-registration/office_of_registrar/academic_calendar.html


I know of a tutor who, when he was still new to the college, did not know about the academic calendar. On one Tuesday that was a Monday schedule (as indicated on the academic calendar), he did not show up for the labs and workshops he was supposed to be teaching that day, because he did not know about the academic calendar and therefore did not know about the schedule change for that specific date.

Keep an eye on the academic calendar throughout the semester. Enter the holidays and the days of schedule-change into your PDA or organizer.

Copyright: © 2009, 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at CUNY.SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Beware of CUNY Web Sites With Outdated ACT Writing Info

Looking at the web sites of English departments, writing centers, and other CUNY web sites, I noticed that they have not updated their information about the new CUNY ACT Writing Exam yet (as of today). All these CUNY English departments and writing centers still have the old ACT Writing information on their web sites.

For an updated and good practice exercise for the new ACT Writing Exam, go to - http://cunyenglish.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-cuny-act-writing-exam-practice-1.html

I am writing this to caution you, so you won't be detrimentally reviewing out-of-date ACT Writing information now that the test has changed. If you are looking at information that describes the ACT Writing Exam with the following out-of-date information, discontinue reading information from that site.

Out-of-Date CUNY ACT Writing Exam (No Longer True)
- A 60-minute test requiring you to write a letter (starting with "Dear ...." usually addressing some elected official or community leader)
- The writing prompt has two proposals from which you have to choose one and support your position in your letter

Again, if you come across websites (including CUNY websites) that still describe the ACT Writing with such outdated information, leave that site. They haven't updated their information yet.

The new CUNY ACT Writing no longer requires you to choose from one of two proposals. Instead, it provides a short reading and you have to write in response to the reading. For more information, go to:

http://cunyenglish.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-cuny-act-writing-exam-practice-1.html

Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and life.SpirFit.com

New CUNY ACT Writing (CATW) Practice Exercise 1

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The CATW (CUNY Assessment Test In Writing) has been in place since the Fall Semester 2010 (replacing the old CUNY ACT Writing Exam). The main focus of the new CATW is writing an essay in response to a short reading. You have 90 minutes to read the passage and write the essay. You may find some CATW practice exams and additional information at:

http://spirfit.org/Academy/catw

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpirFit/141881909215772

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Copyright: © 2010, 2011. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.org
Keywords: CUNY CATW Exam, Kingsborough, Hunter, Baruch, CCNY, Queensborough, Brooklyn College, BMCC, writing, revising, paragraph

New Bacteria Resistant to Most Antibiotics

Superbug! A new type of bacteria resistant to almost all antibiotics has been discovered in the recent months. Health agencies around the world are concerned and keeping a close eye. Don't be over alarmed, but learn what you can do to protect yourselves and families. Go to: http://spirfit.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-bacteria-resistant-to-most.html

Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

Your Health Insurance

A few months ago, I wrote an article summarizing the health reform bills that President Obama signed, including key points that may affect you. I forgot to share it here. Here it is - http://www.baycurrents.net/key-features/item/217-what-the-new-health-reform-means-to-you

Not all the changes from the bill will take place immediately.... Some have taken place already such as your insurance company’s requirement to allow you to include your son/daughter (upto age 26) in your insurance plan. Other changes will take place later.

Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

CUNY ACT Exam Will Change in Fall 2010

The CUNY ACT Exam format will change in Fall 2010. I will be posting information about the new CUNY ACT. Keep checking back here on my blog.

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

Brain Function & Cheapest Way to Join Gym

Did you know that certain types of exercises improve your brain function?

If you are going to join a gym to start exercising, here are some tips about how to join a commercial gym at the lowest prices, go to:

http://spirfit.blogspot.com/2010/07/cheapest-months-to-join-gym.html

CUNY Does Get SOME Things Right

In the past, I've written about the problems in CUNY and how they generally do not have their priorities straight. I now want to clarify that there are some departments, directors, professors, adjuncts, and employees deserving commendation.

The first department I like to commend is the Writing Center where I work. Professor Hope Parisi is the Academic Director here and anyone who has worked for her or with her will agree with me in praising her leadership abilities in the Writing Center and teaching skills in the classroom. However, Hope is and has been only an Associate Professor for the last five years that I've been here (as far as I know.) I believe she should be promoted to a Full Professor. She is truly exceptional. As I've mentioned in a previous entry, the execs up there need to learn to get it right and promote the right people, and stop promoting the wrong people. Hope Parisi is more than competent and she should absolutely be promoted to a full professorship.

In addition to the Academic Director, there is also an Administrative Director in the Writing Center. He is Devon Nixon and is very efficient in running the administrative side of the Writing Center. Devon is highly intelligent and technologically savvy. Although he is relatively young with less experience than most directors, I believe he is doing well for someone of his age and I believe he will continue to improve in his leadership. I believe someone up there got it right in hiring Devon as the administrative director. However, I must disclose the fact that I am a friend of Devon, even before he became Administrative Director. Regardless, I believe my analysis of his performance is objective and accurate.

Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

Test Taking Tips for ACT and Other Standardized Tests

The following are a list of strategies on the final preparations for a standardized exam (such as the ACT and the SAT.)

DAY (24 HOURS) BEFORE THE TEST • Do NOT study or practice for the test the day before the test • No partying or similar activities the day before the test • Plan to sleep enough hours the night before the test. (For example if the test is on Saturday, don’t take a long nap in the afternoon on Friday if you know that will keep you from sleeping on Friday night. (“Know thyself.”) • Make it a calm relaxing day. Examples of good things to do the day before the test: - Prayer - Meditation - Visualize yourself taking the test and doing well in a relaxed state - Read inspirational or motivational materials - Watch inspirational or motivational movies or TV programs • Prepare everything you need to bring to the test (pens, pencils, watch,…) by the day before the test (and place them in a location you can easily see.) • Know exactly the location of the test and arrange how you will get there. THE MORE PREPARED YOU ARE, THE LESS ANXIETY YOU WILL HAVE. DAY OF THE TEST • Get to the testing site 30 minutes early or earlier. • Bring all you need to bring (the pens, pencils, watch, or other things you’ve already prepared the day before.) • Relax. You’ll be fine. (Whatever happens, it won’t be the end of the world.)

The first advice suggesting for you to not practice the day before the test may seem strange to you. That suggestion applies only for standardized tests (and not for class exams.) It is actually commonly taught in test prep schools such as Kaplan and Princeton Review.



For some of you taking the CUNY ACT, you may have a class or lab practicing for the ACT the day before the test. In that case, just relax and don't do any more practicing after the lab. You should be all prepared by this point. If you are prepared (from your practices throughout the semester), there is nothing more you can do to improve your chances. Doing last minute practice at this point may actually decrease your chances of doing well, because it may increase your stress level and decrease area of activation in your brain. If you are not prepared by this point (such as in the cases where you didn't practice enough throughout the semester), there is nothing you can do in one day to improve your chances. Unlike class exams (such as a biology class exam), you can't cram for a standardized test like the ACT. Cramming will only increase your stress level, decrease your brain function, and decrease your chances.

Copyright: © 2007. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

Seasonal Allergies Distracting You?

If you suffer from hay fever (being allergic to pollen in the air causing sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes, especially in this time of the year), it could be irritating and distracting in your studies. Some medications have side effects such as drowsiness, which is unwanted if you are trying to stay up to do your homework.

Here's one alternative solution you should try which will allow you to take less medication:


http://spirfit.com/2010/05/hay-fever-and-neti-pot.html

Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

ACT Writing and NY Times Articles

The content of this entry has been removed because the ACT Writing exam has changed. It is now known as the CATW exam. For information and practice exercises for the new CATW implemented in the Fall 2010 semester, go to:

http://spirfit.org/CUNY/Downloads/CATWpractice1.pdf

http://cuny.SpirFit.com/2010/12/new-catw-exam-practice.html

http://cuny.SpirFit.com/2010/09/new-cuny-act-writing-exam-practice-1.html

1+1=2 Is Only My Opinion?

One thing that I teach students in remedial English classes is to humble themselves and to strive to improve their writing and reading proficiency no matter how good they believe they are. I cover this because some students believe that they are better writers and readers than they actually are. (This lesson can be found at http://cunyenglish.blogspot.com/2009/06/do-you-really-think-you-are-good-writer.html)

Despite emphasizing this lesson of humility and striving to improve, I have one student (let's call her S) in one of my English 91 labs who carries the attitude of “I am smarter than everyone.” That would still be okay if she is putting forth the effort to improve her writing. However, S frequently shows up late and leaves early. As a result, she is missing even the most basic knowledge that almost everyone in class knows, and she doesn’t have much quality work to show.

Yesterday, S really irritated me when I reminded the class that they have to pass the portfolio in order to pass the class. It is a policy of the English Department in this college to require passing the portfolio (and other important components) in order to pass English 91. This is as basic as 1 + 1 = 2 in English 91. However, when I reminded the students of this basic policy, S began arguing with me. "That's your opinion," she responded.

How do you deal with that? It’s like someone telling me that 1+1=2 is my opinion. Maybe she will also argue that the sun does not rise from the east. What’s so frustrating about this is that such a stupid argument is coming out of a know-it-all, who in actuality has a lot to learn and a lot of room for improvement in English.

Here’s the sad thing about this girl. She is actually smarter than half her class. However, her classmates who are not as smart as her are doing better than her, because they are proceeding humbly and working hard to improve their writing and reading proficiencies.

Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

ACT Reading - How You Can Improve Your Score

The ACT Reading Exam is administered on a computer and it is not time-limited. The questions are all multiple choice. I have created a protocol in taking the ACT Reading Exam which many students have found useful. They have found that following this protocol improved their performance in reading comprehension and therefore getting more of the answers correct. Also, you may adjust or revise this protocol according to your individual needs.


ACT Reading Protocol
1. Quickly read questions once (without reading the answer choices)
2. Read passage CAREFULLY at least twice. Sum up each paragraph in one phrase/sentence in your head. (If scrap paper is provided, do it on scrap paper.)
3. Write in one sentence the overall message, or main idea, of the author. Write in one sentence also the attitude or tone of the author (toward an issue, a character, or toward whatever the passage is addressing).
4. Begin answering the questions. For each question, read from the beginning of the passage up to the point where you believe the answer is located.

Note
•By the time you are done, you should’ve read the entire passage AT LEAST THREE TIMES.
• Keep in mind that the creator of the questions in most cases is not the author of the passage. Think in the perspective of the creator of the questions who is probably an English instructor or professor. You have to try to get in the minds of two people, the author of the passage and creator of the questions.
• Use POE (the process of elimination) when answering the questions.
• Be careful not to just focus on one detail or one small area of the passage while ignoring the rest. Use the entire passage to get to the main idea (overall message) as well as the attitude and tone of the author.

An Unconventional Technique
Before reading, get your mind into the alpha state which will help you increase reading comprehension. You can put yourself into the alpha state within 20 seconds by doing a breathing exercise, a mind-calming technique, or saying a prayer. This has been backed up by scientific studies. The alpha state is also known as the “relaxation response” or the relaxed alert state. The more practice you have in reaching the relaxed-alert state, the more success you will have in reading comprehension improvement.

Copyright: © 2010, This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. Feel free to share this blog with others. You may use this article for your web site, blog, or e-zine if and only if you include the following statement and web links:

More teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at:

cunyEnglish.blogspot.com
stanzo.blogspot.com
spirfit.com

Other inquiries may be sent to: healthsciencewriter@gmail.com

CUNY ACT Exam Will Change in Fall 2010

I’ve learned from the English Department that the CUNY ACT Exam will change, probably starting in Fall 2010. However, the information I received so far is general. The CUNY ACT Writing will no longer be a letter writing exam about some advocacy issue where you choose one of two proposals. Instead, it will be a test where you write about a reading. I’ve also been told that it will probably be similar to the GRE Exam’s writing section. (The GRE is the standardized exam for graduation school application.)

However, the CUNY ACT Exam will remain the same for the current semester (Spring 2010). If you are a CUNY undergraduate student who have not yet passed the ACT, it is recommended that you do so before the changes take place in the Fall of 2010.

Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

Learning or Brain Differences of the Sexes

According to a recent book Pink Brain, Blue Brain by Lise Eliot (a psychology professor), the differences in brains of boys and girls are slight. However, there undoubtedly is noticeable difference between boys and girls later on. Boys later on tend to be better in areas like math while girls tend to be better at other areas. This is probably due to the fact that we tend to repeatedly do things we are better at. This results in continual improvement in that area. Therefore, a bigger performance gap between the sexes in that particular area manifests.

A. Scott Henderson, an Education professor who reviewed Eliot’s book for Science, generally agrees with Eliot.


References

Henderson, A. S. Unsexing the Brain. Science. 327:414 (January 21, 2010)

Eliot, Lise. Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps, and What We Can Do About It. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, 2009)


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Copyright: © 2010. This document is the sole property of Amadeo Constanzo. You may use this article for free on your web site, blog, or other publication if and only if you include this entire copyright notice including the following links and statement. Other free teachings from Amadeo Constanzo can be found at SpirFit.com and SpirFit.org

Shu Chan 陳樹中 Terence Chan LIU

Terence Chan LIU Long Island University

ACT Writing - A Sample Passing Essay/Letter

The content of this entry has been removed because the ACT Writing exam has changed. It is now known as the CATW exam. For information and practice exercises for the new CATW implemented in the Fall 2010 semester, go to:

http://spirfit.org/Academy/catw/index.htm

http://spirfit.org/CUNY/Downloads/CATWpractice1.pdf

http://cuny.SpirFit.com/2010/12/new-catw-exam-practice.html

http://cuny.SpirFit.com/2010/09/new-cuny-act-writing-exam-practice-1.html