The Audio Book Club on J.D. Salinger

Critics discuss The Catcher in the Rye.

Listen for pleasure-we will discuss and/or react to their comments.

Structuring Arguments Lecture Videos

Take notes on the videos posted below. I may ask to see your notes during the week of 4 January.

This will prepare you for our upcoming lesson on supporting, challenging, and/or qualifying a claim.

Srtructuring Arguments Part 2 Refutation and Concession

Structuring Arguments Part I

Monty Python Argument Clinic

Making an Argument

Read this resource in preparation for the week of 4 January.

Incorporating Reference Citations (APA/MLA)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
APA

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
MLA

English Language Arts Regents Examinations

Prepare for the upcoming examination. Examine the student essays in the "Scoring Key and Rating Guide." Pay particular attention to the Session 2 questions and student essays.

Documentating Sources: Model Essays

http://www.dianahacker.com/pdfs/hacker-Daly-MLA.pdf
A Call to Action (MLA)

http://www.dianahacker.com/pdfs/Hacker-Shaw-APA.pdf
Apes and Language: A Review of the Literature (APA)

The Catcher in the Rye Test Results

If you missed the test on Chapters 9-14 given on Wednesday, 23 December because you were absent-you MUST make it up by the end of the day on Tuesday, 5 January. I plan on reviewing this test on Wednesday, 6 January.

I am disappointed that only three students made arrangements to take this test on Tuesday, 22 December because they knew that they would be absent on Wednesday. Surely, those absent could have done the same.

Test Results: Average grade "D." I will add ten additional points to your grade. However, for many, this will not make too much of a difference.

The Catcher in the Rye

Read pages 105-174 (Chapters 15-22). You will be tested upon your return on Monday, 4 January (D-Band) and on Tuesday, 5 January (A and B Bands)

Walden Quote Assignment also due when you return. I will not accept it late.

Trope and Scheme Project

Since I do not want to make your life miserable, I have decided to change the project due date.

You will now have until Wednesday, 3 February to complete the project.

WARNING: If you do not cite your sources OR if you cite your sources incorrectly, you will receive a failing grade. I have provided a link on this blog to assist you -see "Citation Machine" below.

Homework Policy

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!

I give you ample time to complete an assignment. Yet, too many students enter the classroom with excuses.

You are expected to turn in the assignment immediately upon entering the classroom. Do not ask me if you can email me the assignment or use a school printer. Recall that you are expected to email me the assignment if absent on the day the assignment is due.

Re-read the class contract-I will NOT accept your assignment late! (This means you must have it in your hand when the assignment is due as you enter the classroom.)

Strategies for Essay Writing

Writing with Internet Sources

A resource guide!

BE ADVISED...

You will be given TEN MINUTES only for the quiz on Chapters 1-7.

Ten Questions=One Minute per Question. If you read it, you will be done in less than FIVE MINUTES.

The Catcher in the Rye

Read Chapters 8-14 (pages 53-104) for Wednesday, 23 December.

Yes, you will be given a quiz (short answer OR perhaps, another "type" of assessment).

No, I will NOT give you a "break" just because it is the holiday season.

Homework for these chapters will be posted soon.

Citation Machine

You may use either MLA or APA for documentation for your trope and scheme project. (Click on the title of this blog.)

The Purdue On-Line Writing Lab

The Catcher in the Rye

Journal Assignment Due:

(Do NOT deviate from the specified instructions on the
handout.)


D-Band- 14 December, Monday
A and B Bands- 15 December, Tuesday

Be prepared for a QUIZ over Chapters 1-7 on the date this assignment is due.

Write Your Own Declaration

Click on the title of this blog entry and Follow the instructions on this document (an excerpt from Stanton's A History of Woman's Suffrage).

DUE: Thursday, 17 December!

I will not accept it late NOR will I accept it sent via email!

The Catcher in the Rye

Site provides a book "index," maps and other resources.
Click on title of blog entry.

http://www.umsl.edu/~ryanga/amer.studies/amst.catcherwegquest.html

Another resource included to enhance your understanding of Salinger's work.

Second Marking Period Grades

Second Marking Period Grade Breakdown:
Timed Writes=5%
Project=20%
Rhetorical Journals=25%
Homework=15%
Vocab Quizzes=5%
TEST: Rhetorical Devices=10%
Class Participation=20%
A Reminder-The grade for the second-marking period is average with your first-marking period "numerical" grade (not the letter grade that appeared on your report card, but with the numerical grade that is in my grade book).

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

American Transcendentalism: Resistance to Government, or Civil Disobedience

This is a "hypertext" version of Thoreau's essay. All you have to do is click on the text to enhance your understanding. I suggest you read this soon since you will have an in-class writing assignment.

http://www.archive.org/details/civil_disobedience_librivox

An audio recording for "Civil Disobedience." Diedrich clicked on "Whole Item 128 kbs stream" for the audio to begin, perhaps, you will be able to find another way.

This is a recording you may want to download to your Ipod. If you do, PLEASE follow along while reading the text, then listen to it while performing your daily chores around your home or "zoning-out" in a room without distractions. You will understand the "why" behind my suggestion once you do.

Defend Challenge Qualify Essay

Prepare for the lesson on Thursday and Friday of this week by reading the article by Shea (the author of our textbook) on evaluating the DCQ essay. To determine that you have completed the reading as directed, you will be given a quiz.

Click on the title of this post for the article.

Rhetorical Devices Examination

A Reminder: The date for the TEST on Rhetorical Devices (Schemes and Tropes) has been changed to Wednesday, 2 December.

Mandatory HIV/AIDS Lessons will be given on Monday and Tuesday (World AIDS is December 1).

Do not rely on the handout alone for review. Recall the numerous times Diedrich has directed everyone to the links for rhetorical devices (tropes and schemes) on nicenet.org?

Study the definitions and the examples on the handout AND on these links and you will do fine. NO EXCUSES!

TEST Format(Matching):
Schemes: 10 Terms/Definitions--10 Terms/Examples

Tropes: 7 Terms/Definitions--10 Terms/Examples

Rhetorical Devices Examination

When you return from the Thanksgiving Break, you will be given a test on the schemes and tropes from the "pink/yellow" handout. Test Format: Matching-Term with Definition and Term with Example

D-Band: Monday, 30 November

A and B Bands: Tuesday, 1 December

If you misplaced this resource, click on the title of this blog entry.

Language of Composition Textbook

Attention A, B, and D-Band Classes:

You are to bring your textbook on Monday (D-Band) and on Tuesday (A and B Band).

Failure to do so will result in a "zero." This will be considered as a "homework" assignment! I will NOT accept any excuses. Also, do NOT ask to go to your locker to retrieve the textbook-I will NOT grant you permission to do so.

"Figures of Speech Served Fresh"

Figures of Speech from the Simpsons

Attention B-Band

Your reward for the return of the lunch applications may have to be postponed until Thursday, 12 November. Your patience is appreciated-you will not be disappointed.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 7

On Wednesday, 4 November, I will ask for volunteers to read the dialogue beginning on page 118-"They certainly look cool," and ending on page 135-"No...I just remembered that today's my birthday."

Please do not volunteer if you did not do a "close" reading of the "conversation" that takes place. It is probably best that the same volunteers read through the dialogue, rather than assigning other students to read-aloud after several pages.

Approach this task as if you were reading a play. Decide before hand on your character-prepare by reading aloud that "part."

We will discover together why this chapter is considered to be the climax of the novel.

You Quote It, You Note It

Please click on this link for a tutorial that will help you NOT to plagiarize. Something that Diedrich is suspecting that several students have been doing for their journals.

The Great Gatsby Vocabulary Test

Vocabulary Test 2: On Thursday, 5 November

desolate to impetuously (31-60)

Test Format: Multiple Choice this time rather than sentence completion.

I suggest you make up flash cards.

The Great Gatsby

Chapter 7 Rhetorical Journals Due

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

Since this chapter is considerably longer than the others, I am only assigning one chapter instead of two. What does this mean?

I expect this assignment to be one of your best-refer to the handouts-especially the one on schemes and tropes. Also, visit nicenet.org and check-out what the links have to offer.

Chapter 8 and 9 Rhetorical Journals are due on Friday, 6 November.

Under no circumstance will I accept your assignments late. NO EXCUSES!
The assignment is due immediately upon entering the classroom. Do not ask if you can email it to me.

The Dos and Don'ts of Blogging

The Great Gatsby Novel

Bring your novel to class on Thursday, 29, October.

B-Band: You will be rewarded next week (Wednesday) for your return of the lunch applications. I apologize for the delay. (or on Thursday, 5 November)

Homework Policy

Effective immediately, Unless you are absent when an assignment is due, I will not accept an emailed assignment. NO MORE EXCUSES. You will turn-in an assignment when it is due.

In other words, if you are not in the school when an assignment is due-you must email it to me.

Three-Ring Binder Requirement

Unfortunately, several students from each band have not yet entered the class with the required binder. Beginning on Tuesday, for those who enter without one, they will receive a "0."

I am considering this a homework assignment. Imagine what that will do to your average...

How will you explain this to your parents?

Attention: Parents and Students

It has come to my attention-in a rather accusatory manner-that certain individuals who did not complete the Summer Reading Assignments-received an "A" for the First-Marking Period.

This could very well have been true for those who were NOT on the AP English Language and Composition register in June and only discovered that they were in the class upon their return in September.

I will under no circumstances continue to tolerate students "getting in my face" making this accusation. Ironically, this accusation has been made by mediocre performing students. If it continues, your parents and the AP of the Humanities Department will be invited to meet with me to discuss this situation.

Furthermore, I find it disturbing that some of these very same students are not abiding by the "twenty-four" hour rule. Amazingly, immediately upon receiving their graded timed-write, I am approached in a belligerent manner. Why is this so "amazing"? They have done so without carefully re-reading the passage, without carefully re-reading their written response, without reading a classmate's paper that received a higher-grade than they did, and without reviewing the handouts and/or the links provided on nicenet! (Can you name that rhetorical device?)

You are NOT in a "literature" class! You are in a "rhetoric" class. Clearly by now, you have discerned the difference.

The Great Gatsby Rhetorical Journal Assignment

Rhetorical Journals for Chapters 5 and 6 due: Wednesday, 28 October.
(Only 3 entries per chapter)

The Great Gatsby Novel

A and B Bands: Bring both your textbook and the novel to class on Tuesday, 27, October.

Format and Scoring of a Recent AP Exam

Language of Composition Textbook Assignment

For the weekend, you will read the excerpt from Emerson's essay "Education" on pages 102 to 109. You will also answer the twelve questions under "Questions on Rhetoric and Style." You will word-process (type) this assignment. You will leave space after each response. You will answer in complete sentences. You will turn-in this assignment on-time.

D-Band: Monday, 26 October
A and B Bands: Tuesday, 27 October

I will not accept this assignment late.

Urgent Action Time Compliance Technical Order

Now that I caught your attention-An "Urgent Action" simply requires your attention. I am furious by the number of students who emailed me the most recent assignment -past-the-due date. In the future., I do not care if your printer is not working or if you had other assignments to complete.

This is unacceptable-I must now take the time to "print" your assignment! I give you ample time-yet, many of you still find excuses... . Furthermore, those who fall into this category are often unrealistic about the grade they should receive. This will be discussed with your parents next week. Please invite them!

Language of Composition Textbook

ATTENTION: A, B, and D Bands

Do Not Bring Your Textbook To Class On Wednesday, 21 October.
In fact, you will not need your textbook this week. However, you will need to bring your textbook home for the weekend to complete an assignment that I will post soon.

The Great Gatsby Vocabulary Quiz

Study the first-thirty vocabulary words ( for Thursday, 22 October ) from the link I have provided-not from the handout distributed in class.

The Language of Composition Textbook

All classes will bring the textbook to class on Wednesday, 21 October. We will analyze the Emerson essay on pages 102-109. If you do not bring the text to class, you will not be part of the class.

The Great Gatsby: A Reminder

D-Band will bring the novel to class on Monday, 19 October and A and B Bands will bring the novel to class on Tuesday, 20 October. Do not forget the Rhetorical Journal assignment.DO NOT ASK TO PRINT AND/OR DOWNLOAD YOUR ASSIGNMENT-IT IS DUE IMMEDIATELY UPON ENTERING THE CLASSROOM.

All classes will read Chapters 3 and 4 for Thursday, 22 October.

Beginning with Chapters 3 and 4, you will only have to complete "three" rhetorical analysis entries for each chapter. This will allow for a more thorough analysis.

First Marking Period Grades

For the first-marking period, you will receive a "letter" grade. Unfortunately, this does not reveal the "accurate" numerical grade you would have received-if numerical grades were given for this marking period. All of the grades have been averaged-since the grades are "cumulative," the numerical grade you earned for the first-marking period will be part of the grade you receive for the second-marking period.

Please keep in mind that an "A" could be at the "low-end" or at the "high-end" of the scale (90-100). Yes, several students did earn a "100" for this marking period. Furthermore, a "B" could very well have been an "85," a "C" a "75."

Your grade was determined by the following breakdown:

Summer Reading-25%
Timed Writes-5%
Project (PSA)-30%
Homework-10%
JFK Analsis-15%
Class Participation-15%

I readjusted the percentages at my own discretion-a "generous" act.

Rhetorical Devices Journal

You will maintain a Rhetorical Devices Journal for each chapter. Refer to the handout distributed in class for specific details. ALL WORK WILL BE WORD-PROCESSED (TYPED).

RHETORICAL DEVICES JOURNAL FOR CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 DUE:

D-Band- Monday, 19 October

A and B Bands-Tuesday, 20 October

NOTE: If you are absent, your work must be emailed to me-send as an attachment. NO EXCUSES! I WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE ASSIGNMENTS.

The Great Gatsby Vocabulary

Periodically, quizzes will be given over the words contained in this resource. Begin studying the words NOW!

The Great Gatsby

On Thursday, 15 October, we will begin reading The Great Gatsby, one of my favorites-although for some English teachers-their least favorite. Soon, I will post the assignments as well as links that will enhance your understanding of this text. Naturally, the primary focus will be on the rhetorical analysis of The Great Gatsby.

Loose-Leaf Binder Check

I have given you ample time to comply with my directive that you will maintain a loose-leaf binder for this class. On Thursday, 15 October, I will check to see if you have complied. If you have not, you will receive a "0" in the homework assignment section of my grade book. This could dramatically influence the grade you receive for the first-marking period.

A Textbook Reminder

Attention A and B Band Students: Bring your textbook to class on Tuesday, 13 October. I will record a "0" in my gradebook if you fail to do so.

Synthesizing Sources: Entering the Conversation (Ch. 3)

Refer to the assignment box on the top of page 72.

The links below will assist you in locating what is required. Naturally, you may use other resources as well.

Make sure to include complete citations for all four of the articles! If you neglect this component, your assignment will be returned and you will NOT receive any credit.

DUE: 16 October 2009, Friday.
Your assignment should be typed!

http://www.artsandlettersdaily.com/
Arts and Letters Daily...
A valuable resource for links to columnists, magazines, newspapers, essays, and all sorts of news and literary commentary.

http://www.newswealth.com/Internet_TV_Channels/internet_tv_channels.html
NewsWealth
A news directory with links to prominent columnists. Live broadcasts from around the world.

Media Memory

You tell me what this has to do with Analyzing Visual Images...

Conducting Visual Arguments

A valuable resource for class discussion and for the "project." TBA

Visual Analysis/Information

The link below is for the images of the paintings and cartoons we will go over in class. I'm providing you with the links so that you can look at them outside of class if you so choose.
Download file
This next link is for the information we will discuss about the paintings and images.
Download file

Takes you to a college board publication. Notes on these pages correspond to the images we will be analyzing in class.

PSA Assignment

On Wednesday, 30 September, you will meet in your group in preparation for the PSA presentation on Thursday, 1 October. All groups must be ready for their PSA-even if a group member is absent! That means that everyone must have the necessary materials.

You do not have to bring your textbook this week.

Rhetorical Device Project

An upcoming independent project. Your class presentation can take any form. This is just an example. I will write names of rhetorical devices on index cards, place them into an envelope, and then you will reach into that envelope and make your selection.

You will essentially teach the rhetorical device to the class.

Timed-Write Make-Ups

Effective immediately-actually with timed-write #2-if you are absent when a timed-write is given-you must make-it up during the 37 1/2 minute tutoring session.

Tips for Analyzing and Responding to AP Prompts

You may want to print this document and to place it your notebook for reference throughout the year.

Once you log-in, click on the "Documents" link.

The Art of Persuasion ppt

For those experiencing confusion...Or for those who would like a review... .

Timed Write

Your second forty-minute timed write will be on Friday, 25 September. Review rhetorical analysis resources (including the rubric).

Registration Deadline

You have until midnight, 27 September to sign-on to this site.Just click on the link above, when the page opens, click on "Join a Class." Then enter the "Class Key (N263376A70)." Next, provide your first and last name (no nicknames). Click on "link sharing." Examine the resources provided. This action will "count" as a homework assignment. You will soon engage in "conferencing" on this site.

Textbook Reminder

Bring your Language of Composition textbook to class on Thursday, 24 September.

Rhetorical Analysis Assignment

Complete a rhetorical analysis of JFK's Inaugural Address. Use class notes and other resources (handouts, nicenet.org, etc.). Your response should be typed (word-processed). Due: Friday, 25 September!

The Language of Composition

Homework: Chapter 1: An Inroduction to Rhetoric
Refer to ASSIGNMENT BOX on page 26 and the ASSIGNMENT BOX on page 28. Rememer to ALWAYS provide an explanation/rationale for your analysis. Both assignments are due on Monday, 21 September 2009. Late assignments will NOT be accepted!

Banned Books Week Readout

September 26th-October 3rd 2009. Click on the link (title/heading) and discover banned books-"newly banned" as well as the "old" ones. read the "Manifesto" and about the events for the week.

What does education look like?

We will discuss this video in class. Be prepared to write a DCQ paragraph.

"Mad as Hell"

How is this video related to AP English Language and Composition? OR Is It? Perhaps, Diedrich is "out in left field" and has no clue...

Vocabulary Workshop Level G Practice Tests

Unfortunately, funds were not available to purchase the Sadlier-Oxford Book H. Therefore, you must prepare for each quiz by clicking on the link provided by the publisher of this text. All vocabulary quizzes will be multiple choice and cumulative. For example, quiz 2 will contain vocabulary words over both lessons one and two. You should review "learning definitions" and the "vocabulary completion" section since both will appear on your quiz. If time permits, we will review the words at the beginning of the week and you will be tested on these words at the end of the week.

http://www.vocabtest.com/vw/levelg.htm

Quizlet

An opportunity to "quiz" yourself-only you will know the results. On the other hand, I will know if you have prepared when I test you on these words in class.
http://quizlet.com/68616/ap-language-and-composition-glossary-of-literary-and-rhetorical-terms-flash-cards/

 

A Valuable Resource for AP Students

Glossary of Key Terms with Pronunciation: Click on a glossary term to listen to the audio.
http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_harmon_handbook_10/39/10119/2590685.cw/index.html

Internet Classroom Assistant

A Reminder: A reference to www.nicenet.org was cited in your summer reading packet. You were directed to use "Class Key" N263376A70 and sign on using your name. If you have not visited this site yet, you must do so immediately! You will discover a "wealth" of information that we will be referring to throughout the year. Furthermore, we will be using this site "conferencing" with one another.

Timed Writings

LMGHS AP English Parents

Don't Worry about Timed Writing Grades

When you look at your son or daughter's grades in AP English Language, the lowest grades you will probably see are for Timed Writings (TW). Outstanding English students often make "Cs" on these assignments at the beginning of the semester. The assignments are difficult and the grades are lower because these are assignments from previously released AP exams, and they are scored according to College Board scoring criteria. I explain the criteria to students at the beginning of the semester and make them understand that they may not like the "C" that they receive in the beginning of the semester, but that they will learn how to improve as the semester progresses.

If you see a "C" for a Timed Writing, that "C" represents an average score for all AP students who took the test that year. PLEASE do not think the "C" is indicative of your child not working hard enough! A "C" on other grades may indeed indicate lack of effort, but not for Timed Writings. Because the grades for Timed Writings tend to be lower, I do not grade out-of-class papers as hard. This tends to balance the overall grade in AP English Language.

We will complete a timed writing each week, and it is important for students to work hard and to improve. If a student works hard and makes a "C," I keep encouraging him, and in time he will improve. 

How hard are AP timed writings? Imagine walking into your English class bright and early on a Monday morning. Your English teacher welcomes you and then hands you an assignment. You are given 40 minutes to read a difficult passage on your own and then write a 3-4 page essay on the following topic:

         "In the following excerpt from her memoirs, Virginia Woolf reflects upon her childhood summers spent in a seaside village in Cornwall, England. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Woolf uses language to convey the lasting significance of these moments from her past." [from the AP English Language 2002 exam]

Timed Writings are difficult.  The AP exam in May will require students to write 3 essays within 2 hours and 15 minutes. Students who practice hard during the semester will be prepared for the AP exam, and they will be able to handle any writing assignment they are given in college.

Public Service Announcement Assignment (PSA)

The More You Know: Environment

 

via www.themoreyouknow.com

Here is another website that includes scores of Public Service Announcements (PSAs). Please see the post below for the full assignment

AD Council

 

via www.adcouncil.org

On September ____, you will select a group (no more than 4 people in a group) and begin working on the creation of a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for a topic of your choice (and my approval). You will have one week to create a 30 second television commercial, a 30-second PowerPoint presentation that runs automatically, OR a one-page print magazine advertisement. Your PSA will be judged on its effectiveness, originality, attractiveness, and its use of ethos, pathos, or logos (or perhaps all 3). Take a look at this website that includes hundreds of PSAs for television and print.

Class Reading Assignments

AP English Language and Composition: LINKS TO ALL CLASS REQUIRED READING ASSIGNMENTS

Alphabetized by Title of Piece

*Please inform Mr. Diedrich A.S.A.P. if any of these links do not work.

 

The Abdication Speech of Edward VIII - 1936

The Abominations of War by Cindy Sheehan - 2006

Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids and Why by John Taylor Gatto - 2003

Ain't I a Woman by Sojourner Truth - 1851

Areopagitica by John Milton: A Speech For The Liberty Of Unlicensed Printing To The Parliament Of England

The Age of White Guilt: And the Disappearance of the Black Individual by Shelby Steele - 1999

AIDS Has A Woman's Face by Stephen Lewis - 2004

The Allegory of the Cave by Plato

Dr. Maya Angelou's Speech to the Democratic National Convention - 2004

United States President George Bush Announces War Against Iraq in 1991

Apology from The Dialogues of Plato, Volume 2 - 399 BC

An Argument About Beauty (pdf) by Susan Sontag

The Ballot or the Bullet by Malcolm X - 1964

Best in Class by Margaret Talbot - 2005

Beyond Personality - Mere Men by C.S. Lewis - 1944

Billie Jean King Remembers Life as an Outsider in the 1950s and 1960s

by Billie Jean King and Frank Deford - 1982

Biology in the Twenty-First Century by Ernst Mayr - 2000

The Bird and the Machine by Loren Eiseley - 2006

Can We Know the Universe? by Carl Sagan - 1979

The Case for Staying Home by Claudia Wallis - 2004

The Epilogue to The Clan of One Breasted Women by Terry Tempest Williams - 1991

Class Division Among African Americans by Shelby Steele - 1988

Clear and Present Danger by John F. Kennedy - 1962

Prologue from Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond - 2005

Commencement Address at Wellesley College by Former First Lady Mrs. Barbara P. Bush - 1990

Compassion: The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel - excerpt from Sogyal Rinpoche's The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - 1992

A Crime of Compassion by Barbara Huttman - 1983

Cybergysies and the Net's Wilderness Years
by Peter James - 1999

Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the occasion of the 41st Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising - 2000

The 14th Dalai Lama's Acceptance Speech, on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo - 1989

The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf - 1925

Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions by Elizabeth Cady Stanton - 1848

Exerpt from Defining the World: The Extraordinary Story of Dr. Johnson's Dictionary by Henry Hitchings - 2005

Designer Babies: U.S. Couples Seek Embryo Screening by Marilynn Marchione and Lindsey Tanner - 2006

The Destructive Male by Elizabeth Cady Stanton - 1868

Dispensing Morality by Ellen Goodman - 2005

The Divine Revolution by Vaclav Havel - 1998

Don't Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgments by Robert L. Heilbroner

DNA as Destiny by David Ewing Duncan - 2002

Drugs, Sports, Body Image and G.I. Joe by Natalie Angier - 1998

Drumroll Please by Evany Thomas - 2006

from Dust Tracks on a Road (chapter one) by Zora Neale Hurston - 1942

from The End of the Story by Lydia Davis - 1995 - (the link is about one-third of the way down the page, on the left side)

An Essay on Modern Education by Jonathan Swift - 1728

An Evolutionist Look at Modern Man by Loren Eiseley - 1959

Fearing the Worst Should Anyone Produce a Cloned Baby by Philip M. Boffey - 2003

The First Fireside Chat: The Banking Crisis by Former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt - 1933

For Fasting and Football, A Dedicated Game Play by Samuel G. Freedman - 2005

For a Polyglot Federation by Umberto Eco - 1993

The Future of the Book by Umberto Eco - 1994

Mohandas Gandhi's Address at Kingsley Hall - 1931

Mohandas K. Gandhi's Speech At Montessori Training College in London - 1931

GeoSigns: The Big Thaw by Daniel Glick - 2004

The Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln - 1863

Give me Liberty or Give Me Death by Patrick Henry - 1775

Global Greening? The Time for a 'Global Green Deal' Has Come by Mark Hertsgaard - 1999

God's Love to Fallen Man by John Wesley

Godzilla vs. the Giant Scissors: Cutting the Antiwar Heart Out of a Classic by Brent Staples - 2005

The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie - 1889

Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrast by Bruce Catton

A Hanging by George Orwell - 1931

Excerpt from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers - 2003

Help Us Overthrow the Tall/Short Mafia at Starbucks Coffee by Tom Magliozzi - 2007

Introduction to Her Husband: Hughes and Plath, a Marriage by Diane Middlebrook - 2003

The Hidden Life of Dogs by Dave Barry - 1993

Hints Toward an Essay on Conversation by Jonathan Swift - 1709

Chapter One of His Excellency, George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis - 2005

The Holy War: Mac vs. Dos by Umberto Eco - 1994

Homelessness by Anna Quindlen - 1988

The House that Fell Down by Evan Taylor - 2005

How Boys Become Men by Jon Katz - 1993

from How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle by Frances Willard - 1895

How it Feels to be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston - 1928

How Much Wallop Can a Simple Word Pack? by Geoffrey Nunberg - 2004

The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society by Jonathon Kozol - 1985

I Am Prepared to Die by Nelson Mandela - 1964

I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1963

I Just Wanna be Average by Mike Rose - 1989

The Imprint of Evolution, Chapter One of Simon Conway-Morris's The Crucible of Creation - 1998

Prologue to The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald - 2001

The Inheritance of Tools by Scott Russell Sanders - 1987

In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell - 1932

In Praise of a Snail's Pace by Ellen Goodman - 2005

Excerpt from Iran - A Country on the Brink by Stephen Kinzer - 2007

from In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens by Alice Walker - 1983

The Insufficiency of Honesty by Stephen L. Carter - 1996

Into the Electronic Millenium by Sven Birkerts - 1991

I Think You're Fat by A.J. Jacobs - 2007

Justice for Ireland by Daniel O'Connell - 1836

Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space by Brent Staples - 1994

U.S. President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address - 1961

The Laughing Animal - This article takes a time-lapse view of Encyclopædia Britannica's articles on laughter, with brief excerpts from past editions.

Leaps of Consciousness by Gloria Steinem - 2004

Learning to Read - by Malcolm X - 1965

Learning to Read and Write by Frederick Douglas - 1845

Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1963

A Letter from Eighteen Writers: Including Three Nobel Prize Recipients

The Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut by Tom Gitlin - 1998

Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor by Garrett Hardin - 1974

Life at the Edge by Paul Nicklen - 2007

Lizbeth by Lars Eighner - 1992

Lost in America by Dave Barry - 1987

Lost in the Kitchen by Dave Barry

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Soldiers by Cindy Sheehan - 2006

Nelson Mandela's Address during a joint sitting of Parliament to mark ten years of Democracy In South Africa - 2004

Nelson Mandela's Address to the United Nations Security Council on the Arusha Peace Process - 2000

Nelson Mandela's Nobel Peace Prize Address - 1993

Nelson Mandela's Speech upon his Release from Prison - 1990

Marrying Absurd by Joan Didion - 1979

The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne - 1836

A Model for High Schools by David S. Broder - 2005

The Moral Equivalent of War by William James - 1910

More Working Parents Play 'Beat the Clock' by Marilyn Gardner - 2004

Toni Morrison's Speech at the Nobel Banquet on December 10th, 1993

Wangari Muta Maathai's Nobel Lecture on December 10th, 2004

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan - 1991

My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation by James Baldwin - 1963

My Fellow Americans: What I'd Say If They Asked Me by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - 1988

My Luminous Universe by Helen Keller - 1956

My Outsourced Life by A.J. Jacobs - 2005

My Wood by E.M. Forster

The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria (pdf) by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Nader 2004 (pdf) by Lou Novak - 2004 (located on page 14)

'A New Mexican Rebecca': Imagining Pueblo Women by Barbara A. Babcock

No Name Woman by Maxine Hong Kingston - 1976

Not Worth My Son's Sacrifice by Cindy Sheehan - 2005

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce - 1890

Introduction to The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (pdf) by Michael Pollan - 2006

On the Backs of Blacks by Toni Morrison - 1993

On Being a Cripple (pdf) by Nancy Mairs - 1986

On Compassion by Barbara Lazear Ascher - 1988

On The Different Kinds of Republic and Of What Kind The Roman Republic Was by Niccolo Machiavelli - 1519

Of the Different Species of Philosophy by David Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding - 2004

On Being Black and Middle Class by Shelby Steele - 1988

On Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner - 1992

On Keeping a Notebook (pdf) by Joan Didion - 1966

On Women's Right to Vote by Susan B. Anthony - 1872

On Writing by Arundhati Roy

The Penalty of Death by H.L. Mencken - 1949

Pet Clones Spur Call for Limits by Rick Weiss - 2005

The Philosophy of Composition by Edgar Allan Poe - 1846

Planet of the Bacteria by Stephen Jay Gould - 1996

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell - 1946

Popular Culture in the Aftermath of Sept. 11 Is a Chorus Without a Hook,

a Movie Without an Ending by Teresa Wiltz - 2001

Pride to One is Prejudice to Another by Courtland Milloy - 2005

Professions for Women by Virginia Woolf - 1931

Chapter One (all eleven pages) of Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
(all eleven pages) by Robert Sullivan - 2004

The Real New York Giants by Rick Reilly - 2002

Reflections on Working Toward Peace by Alice Walker

from Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education by Horace Mann - 1848

A Report on Mesopotamia by T.E. Lawrence - 1920

Richard Rodriguez's passage about his attitude toward his family and himself
(pdf)

The Rights and Involved Duties of Mankind Considered, Chapter One of The Vindication of the Rights of a Woman

 - by Mary Wollstonecraft - 1792

from A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf - 1929 - (it's at the end of the page)

Rwanda: How the Genocide Happened from BBC News - 2004

Salvation by Langston Hughes - 1940

Science: It's Just Not Fair by Dave Barry - 1998

Science and Religion Can Coexist by Freeman J. Dyson - 2000

Seeking a New Globalism in Chiapas by Tom Hayden - 2003

The Sense of Place by Wallace Stegner - 1992

Sexism and Misogyny: Who Takes the Rap?  Misogyny, gangsta rap, and The Piano by bell hooks - 1994

Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell - 1936

Sick Parents Go to Work, Stay Home When Kids are Ill by Chritopher Mele - 2002

Silent Dancing by Judith Ortiz Cofer - 1990

The Simplest Way to be Happy by Helen Keller - 1933

The Singer Solution to World Poverty by Peter Singer - 1999

Sixteen Hours Ago by U.S. President Harry S. Truman - 1945

The Smurfette Principle by Katha Pollitt - 1991

Soap and Water by Aanzia Yezierska - 1920

The Solitude of Latin America: Gabriel García Márquez Nobel Prize Lecture - 1982

Soul of a Surgeon by Richard Selzer, M.D. - 2004

Stranger in the Village by James Baldwin - 1955

Strike Against War by Helen Keller - 1916

Students for Sale by Stephen Manning - 1999

Studying Islam, Strengthening the Nation by Peter Berkowitz and Michael McFaul - 2005

Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie - 1998

Sweeping the Clouds Away by Virginia Heffernan - 2007

Television News Coverage by Spiro T. Agnew - 1969

Theme for English B by Langston Hughes - 1951

Selection from Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments:
Part I - Of the Propriety of Action Consisting of Three Sections, Section I - Of the Sense of Propriety, Chapter I - Of Sympathy

Thirty-Eight Who Saw Muder Didn't Call the Police by Martin Gansberg - 1964

This Country is at War with Germany by Neville Chamberlain - 1939

This Won't Hurt a Bit by Dave Barry - 1996

Tragedy and the Common Man by Arthur Miller - 1949

Transsexual Frogs by Elizabeth Roye - 2003

Tribute to the Dog by George Graham Vest

The True Story of American Soccer by Dave Eggers - 2006

The Truman Doctrine by Former U.S. President Harry S. Truman - 1947

Turbulence by David Sedaris - 2005

Twenty-Seven Articles by T. E. Lawrence - 1917

Two Ways to Belong in America by Bharati Mukerjee - 1996

Uncle John's Farm by Mark Twain

The Undertaker's Racket by Jessica Mitford - 1963

Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948

Waiting for Salmon by Barry Lopez - 2005

Walking by Henry David Thoreau - 1862

War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges - 2002

A War I Opposed and Despised with a Depth or Feeling I had Reserved Solely

for Racism in America Before Vietnam by Bill Clinton - 1969

War Message by Former U.S President Woodrow Wilson - 1917

Watching TV Makes You Smarter by Steven Johnson - 2005

Water in the Waterwonderland (pdf) by Priscilla Dziubek - 2004 (located on pages 15 & 16)

We Are Family by Change-Rae Lee - 2003

We Are Not Immune by Ronald J. Glasser - 2004

We are the Patriots by Gore Vidal - 2003

Wears Jumpsuit.  Sensible Shoes.  Uses Husbands Last Name. by Deborah Tannen - 1993

We Choose to Go to the Moon by U.S. President John F. Kennedy - 1962

What Adolescents Miss When We Let Them Grow Up in Cyberspace by Brent Staples - 2004

What is an American? by Harold Ickes - 1941

What's Wrong with Animal Rights? (pdf) by Vicki Hearne - 1991

When School Is Out, Getting Food In by Jane E. Brody - 2007

Where I lived, and What I Lived For, Chapter Two of Walden by Henry David Thoreau - 1854

White Guilt and the Western Past by Shelby Steele - 2006

The White Man Unburdened by Norman Mailer - 2003

Why Don't We Complain? by William F. Buckley, Jr. - 1961

Why Johnny Won't Read by Mark Bauerlein and Sandra Stotsky - 2005

Why Men Don't Last: Self-Destruction as a Way of Life by Natalie Angier - 1999

Why Women Have to Work by Amelia Warren Tyagi - 2004

Will We Figure Out How Life Began? by Steven Jay Gould - 2000

Woman as an Athlete by Arabella Kenealy. M.D. - 1899

Women's Brains by Stephen Jay Gould

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 1892

Yes, This Is About Islam by Salman Rushdie - 2001