Read Chapter 2 of Writing from Sources (WFS) and the essay by Carl Singleton on pp. 192 - 94. You might also want to look at Chapter 2 of TSIS, especially the list of verbs at the end.
Write a paragraph summarizing Singleton's argument in the essay. Don't agree or disagree until the last sentence of the paragraph. Simply summarize his point of view. Be objective in your tone, language, and content.
Try to use and CORRECTLY introduce SHORT quotations from the essay when you think Singleton does a better job of writing his point of view than you can, but don't overdo it. Don't let Singleton do your writing for you.
Your paragraph should take the following form, which more or less follows the instructions given in WFS:
1. Summarize the main argument. Don't forget to work in Singleton's full name and the title of the essay. A typical template for that first sentence might be as follows. In [title of the essay], [author's full name] [verb from the list in TSIS] that [the author's main argument/ thesis].
2. Summarize the supporting arguments, each in their turn. Exclude examples and details for now. Just summarize the main supporting arguments. Use transitions to indicate the flow of the argument and the fact that Singleton and not you is arguing.
Here, you'll need to understand the underlying organizational principle of the essay. Writers don't always make them obvious. Use your understanding of that organizational principle to structure your summary.
3. State the underlying principle present in Singleton's essay -- the idea that makes the argument go. You can think of it as your or Singleton's thesis, but it is often unstated. Think of it as the idea that you will either defend or refute in subsequent paragraphs in the body of an essay that follows this introductory summary.
4. Finally, state your point of view as a response to Singleton's point of view. You will either be defending, refuting, or finding some middle ground.
WFS gives you excellent instructions on how to determine these matters. Use them.
Bring a copy of PA#7 to class on Monday, 9/19. Blog it by 5 PM on Sunday 9-18. I'm giving you some extra time on this one. Don't procrastinate.
Curtis Duren
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105
Professor Burns
18 September, 2016
In What Our Education System Needs is More F’s, Carl Singleton is asserting a claim that the education system is failing by passing students along when they should be getting F’s. He believes that teachers and schools are not providing the students with the basics causes students to end up in college unable to read or write. Giving F’s will make them acknowledge that there is something wrong. If you give more F’s and prove that the system is not working, it’s going to make the school systems recognize the areas of need in the educational system. Those in charge of the educational system will observe areas that need the most improvement and require teaching and learning from teachers and students. “Let me make it clear, I recommend giving those F’s- by the dozens, hundreds, thousands and even millions - only to students who haven’t learned the required material” (Singleton, 192). Singleton is putting the responsibility on the schools and the teachers to provide adequate information so the students can learn and show they have learned the information. “Illiteracy among high school graduates is growing because those students have been passed rather than flunked; we have low quality teaching because of low quality teachers who should have never been certified in the first place; college students have to take basic reading, writing and mathematics courses because they will never learned those skills in classrooms from which they never should have been granted egress” (Singleton, 192). Schools and teachers are pushing students through to get funding and the funds need to be spent on better educating the students. “Giving an F whenever and wherever it is the only appropriate grade would force principals, school boards and voters to come to terms with cost as a factor in improving our educational system” (Singleton, 193). Students have to be held accountable too but teachers should demand as much from themselves as they demand from their students (Singleton, 193). Unless students are being failed, the problems with education today will not be solved. I completely agree with Singleton in his argument on failing students because too many students are getting through the education system without even trying and eventually they hit the brick wall failing in college and in the real world.
Paragraph 7
ReplyDeleteMichael Heeschen
In “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” by Carl Singleton, he states that in order to fix our failing education system, there needs to be more F’s in school. Carl Singleton believes that there are too many people passing through high school who doesn’t deserve to pass. He states that students who have not mastered the material required for the class don’t deserve to receive a passing grade. He also notes how the grading system has deteriorated from F’s becoming D’s and the average grade becoming a B from a C, that the grading system is too accommodating. His final point is that if there were more F’s in the school system, then everything would be better off. The teachers would be more qualified, and the students would actually have to work to receive a passing grade. The drive of this essay is the fact that everything would be better off if people respected the solid line between a pass and a fail. Carl Singleton is correct in his statements, but perhaps a little too extreme. He believes that the student should master the material required for the class to receive a passing grade, I think that the student should have a general understanding of the material.
Stephen Gagne
ReplyDeleteMr. Burns
English 105
In “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s” by Carl Singleton, he suggests that students who did not fully learn the material should be given failing grades. Singleton claims that giving credit leniently results in low-quality students and in specific cases some graduates are illiterate. He believes that sending students home with failing grades will force most parents to deal with their children’s education by imposing rules on them. Also people such as voters will be forced to come to terms with the cost of having students in public schools. Singleton insists handing out more F’s will make students work harder thus becoming better learners. However, students will not constantly work hard to get a good grade if they have to so every time they get a bad grade.
Avianna Carmoega
ReplyDeletePA #7
In the essay, "What Our Education System Needs Is More F's," Carl Singleton argues that if students receive more "F's" on assignments, the American Education System would slowly improve. Singleton suggests, "The single most important requirement for solving the problems of education in America today is the big fat F." He states that certain students would receive a "D" when in reality they deserved an "F". The modern grading system has become less harsh, weakening the strong divide between "straight A" students, and students who fail. There is a middle ground now where students who do not know the course material, or have not completed the class readings are still able to pass their class. The author insists that if a student were to receive an "F" on an assignment, their principal and/or parents would get involved, making a better environment for the student to do better and receive higher grades. Singleton states, "Johnny should pass only when and if he knows the required material." I agree with this statement, and Singleton's message as a whole because a student should only pass if they deserve to. Everyone should get the grade they deserve whether it is an A or an F, or anywhere in-between.
Marlene Savage
ReplyDeleteProfessor Burns
English 105
September 18, 2016
In “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s”, Carl Singleton, recommends that students should be given F’s when necessary. The first claim he makes is about the educational system. He believes that the grading system has deteriorated to the point where students with passing grades should be failing. Second, he states “…we have low-quality teaching because of low-quality teachers who never should have been certified in the first place…”. (1) We have to break the cycle of falsely grading in order to have high-quality teaching. Third, he discusses the influence of parents. If parents acknowledge that their children are not doing well in school, then hopefully they will take interest in their children’s education. The underlying principle present in Singleton’s essay is not about the letter grade F, but rather the concept of giving people what they deserve in order to make them better. I agree with Singleton’s essay because of the many truths that support his claim.
(1) Spatt, Brenda. “The Single-Source Essay.” Writing from Sources. New York: St. Martin’s, 1983. 192-94. Print.
Ryan Roberts
ReplyDeleteProfessor Burns
English 105
18 September 2016
In "What Our Education System Needs Is More F's" by Carl Singleton, he argues that more F's need to be given in order to restore the quality of american education. He believes that other suggested solutions will make little progress until the principle of pass and fail comes into full effect. He claims that illiteracy is growing among graduates because students have been passed rather than flunked. The grading system has deteriorated, D's become C's, and B's have become the average grade. He believes that giving an F where deserved would force concerned parents to get their child away from the TV set and place a higher demand on their education. Singleton also suggests that by respecting the line of passing and the failing, teaching methods and class preparations would also become a high standard all around as every teacher knows, a failed student can be the product of a failed teacher. I agree with Carl Singleton, the education system needs to hold higher standards and the most efficient way to do so is by becoming less lenient in grading.
Tyler Knoth
ReplyDeletePA#7
“What our Education System needs is more F’s,” by Carl Singleton calls for giving a failing grade to any kid or adult that hasn’t mastered the material, how to keep it from happening, and what would happen if we did so. His opening point is that it will force open major issues in our education system. The biggest problem here is giving credit that hasn’t been earned. If given an F, the student will work for the A. What about parents? Singleton suggests this will, “force parents to deal with realities of their children’s failure,” and to do something about it now than wait. This might also get the parent more involved in the child’s education. Besides parents, he also urges teachers to demand more of themselves since the students are being asked to do so as well. In conclusion he states that F’s should be, “written decisively in red ink millions of times in schools and colleges across the country.” I agree with some of his statements, but unless Johnny’s teacher is willing to give him that time his dad can't, Johnny may never excel.
Tommy Jacobson
ReplyDeleteEnglish 105
Prof Burns
September 18, 2016
From his essay, "What Our Education System Needs Is More F’s”, Carl Singleton talks about the inadequacies in American education. He believes that the grading system in our schools has deteriorated considerably in the last 20 years. Singleton explains that our “tolerance of students who did not fully measure up” grew more and more. Before long, the number of illiterate students graduating from high school began growing. Students that did not learn the required material were being passed along when they should be failed and held back until they eventually learn the material. Singleton argues that “Sending students home with final grades of F would force most parents to deal with the realities of their children’s failure while it is happening and when it is yet possible to do something about it.” Parents would see that their is a problem and they would be forced to intervene before it is too late. Giving an F is a good way to alert the student that their is something wrong. A lot of times, a F can also be the result of a bad teacher. Singleton believes that “respecting the line between passing and failing” would not only force students to leanr the material but require teachers to be held at a higher standard ensuring that they are teaching their students in an effective way. The underlying cause of this essay is that the softening of our grading system has resulted in a deteriorated education system. I think that giving more F’s would definitely strengthen the American education system but it would also lead to a higher drop out rate, another big problem in our country.
Emily Dean
ReplyDeleteENG 105
Burns
18 September, 2016
Paragraph Assignment #7
In “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” Carl Singleton insists that in order to increase the the quality of which students learn required material, the education system needs to readjust the grading system and dispense more F’s on a stricter scale. Singleton claims that increasing funding for the education system, returning to basic teaching styles, and other suggested changes wouldn’t repair the American education system, and that only dispensing more F’s will succeed to repair it. Singleton claims that giving undeserved higher grades is contributing to higher rates of college student illiteracy. He insists that by dispensing more F’s, it would force students and their families to take a more active approach to their, or their child’s, education. Singleton argues that if the education dispenses more F’s, the the rate of college student and high school graduate illiteracy would disappear, and it would make major steps in the repair of the American education system. Overall, Singleton argues that if the education system dispenses more F’s, then it would stop the growth of the undeserved success culture that has developed in American schools. Despite Singleton’s insistence, I would argue that, while dispensing more F’s would help to address certain issues in the American education system, it is still essential to raise funding and standards for the education system in order to successfully develop all around change.
In Carl Singleton’s “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” he deftly suggests that a deeper understanding of material would be gained should more F’s be given out by teachers. He argues that there has slowly become a lack of “quality” in grades, and that a divide between the higher scoring students and the lower scoring students has almost become nonexistent. Some students slip through the cracks and simply float between the upper and lower scoring students. In imposing harsher grading, those students and the lower scoring students would have to try harder, and in turn gain a deeper understanding of the material. Furthermore, seeing their children gain lower scores, would force parents to be more involved into their children's education, cultivating a better and more educational environment both at home and at school. Overall I do not agree with his argument because it ignores several critical factors. Specifically the mental health factor; In giving students poor grades, their self esteem and perhaps overall mental health will be affected. Furthermore, what about those students who do not have supportive parents, or parents at all? This specific method of education may prove useless and overall harmful to them.
ReplyDeleteKendall Kaiser
ReplyDeletePA #7
In Carl Singleton’s “What Our Education System Needs Is More F’s”, Singleton claims that there needs to be a widespread giving of F’s. He believes that credit is being given to students where none has been earned, “Illiteracy among high-school graduates is growing because those students have been passed rather than flunked”. Singleton states that sending students home with an F would force parents to become more involved in their child’s education and stop watching TV, “Johnny does not deserve to pass just because his Daddy doesn’t care or is ignorant. Johnny should pass only when and if he knows the required material”. He also states that giving an F would force principals, school boards, and voters to improve the educational system. I agree that our education system needs to be more difficult, but failing students that don’t deserve it is unnecessary and would make it harder for those students to get into college.
Smith, Justin
ReplyDelete9/20/16
Burns
English 105
Carl Singleton, in his book “What Our Education System Needs is More F’s,” claims "The single most important requirement for solving the problems of education in America today is the big fat F." The problem that he talks about is the fact that many of the students that are passing through and graduating from the schools have not received a proper education. He digresses and states that many of those same students who have not yet completed the required materials that are necessary and crucial to their progression of their education levels, are sliding by through the use of the grading scale where C’s and D’s are passing grades. His reasoning is that students are going to be more motivated by a failing grade than by one that simply allows them get by, by the skin of their teeth. Not only this, but it would also motivate the parents to get involved in the child’s education because no parent really wants to go in and speak with the principle about how her child is failing a class. This would result in parents taking the necessary precautionary steps to avoid for these awkward situations to take place. Through the lack of the “Big Fat F’s” the modern grading scale has destroyed the wall that has for song long separated the A students and the F students. The grading scale allows for there to be a large conglomerate of different grades allowing for the medium to be somewhere in the B range as apposed to what should actually be the C range. I would have to say that I agree with his claims especially because it is simply unacceptable to send a student to a higher level of learning if they have not first completed the necessary steps to movie forward. The whole situation would be related to trying to teach a child how to ride a bike that is missing a wheel, they might roll a little bit on the one wheels but eventually they are going to fall.