ACP merged PDF files-Rather

Table of Contents 3
4
What is ACP? 5
Syllabus Snapshot 6
Student Preparation Strategy 9
BOPPPS Lesson Plan 12
• “How to Read a Newspaper” Essay 18
• “How to Read a Newspaper” Presentation 19
• Scrambled Story Index Cards 26
• News Stories for Scrambled Story and Lead Activity 28
Test Questions 30
Rubric 36
Showcase Presentation
Reflective Essay

What is the Adjunct Certification Program at Lone Star College?

Purpose: The purpose of the Adjunct Certification Program is to recognize and reward adjunct faculty who
make a commitment to the System and to provide an opportunity to enhance their teaching effectiveness.

Who can participate: Adjunct faculty who have taught at LSC for at least 2 semesters may apply. Participants
are chosen based upon recommendations from their department chair.

Course structure and objectives: The Adjunct Certification Program is structured around 5 components of
successful instruction. After successfully completing this program participants will be able to

 Plan for Learning
o Create a syllabus snapshot
o Create a lesson using the BOPPPS lesson planning moel
o Write SMART lesson objectives
o Identify the levels in Bloom’s cognitive taxonomy
o Employ effective strategies to encourage students to prepare for class

 Employ a Variety of Teaching Strategies
o Define teacher-centered, interactive, experiential, and independent learning techniques
o Locate online lesson repositories and resources
o Incorporate at least one new instructional strategy in a lesson plan
o Create questions that address various levels of Bloom's cognitive taxonomy

 Assess Effectively
o Develop an assessment strategy that aligns with the course outcomes
o Utilize various formative assessment tools that are quick, engaging, and informative
o Create effective subjective and objective tools and processes.
o Cite the principles of effective evaluation.
o Develop an assessment rubric

 Use Instructional Technology
o Explain how technology can enhance teaching and learning
o Employ at least one new instructional technology to encourage student engagement
o Locate instructional technology resources

 Foster a Positive Learning Environment
o Utilize effective strategies for dealing with various student challenges
o Employ motivational theory to structure classes that foster student motivation to learn

In order to successfully complete the program, participants must:
• Attend ALL 5 face-to-face meetings with the initial cohort and complete all on-line lessons. This occurs
over a nine week period with a time commitment of 26-30 hours.
• Actively participate in online discussion topics.
• Present a 10 minute overview of a completely new lesson
• Complete a reflective essay
• Compile and submit an electronic portfolio of all completed assignments
• Score a minimum of 80% on all required elements of the course

Quick Look Syllabus for English 1301
Sec$on 5031-9642

For full syllabus, go to the “Overview” link on the class D2L site

Student Learning Outcomes Instructor
Rodney Rather
1.  Demonstrate knowledge of individual and Office: CASE 214
collabora$ve wri$ng processes. Office Hours: T/Th: 10-11 a.m.; F: on request
Phone: (281) 290-3423
2.  Develop ideas with appropriate support and Email: [email protected]
aXribu$on, following MLA style guidelines in
documen$ng sources. Essays
Unless otherwise instructed, all essays will
3.  Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose. be no less than 1,000 words. All essays will
4.  Read, reflect, and respond cri$cally to a variety of adhere to MLA style. Everyone’s an Author
and A Writer’s Reference include sec$ons on
texts. MLA documenta$on.
5.  Use edited American English in academic essays. AFendance
Come to class regularly.
Textbooks Do not habitually arrive late.
•  Everyone’s an Author with Readings, 2nd ed., with Do not habitually leave early.

2016 MLA Updates, Lunsford, et al.
•  A Writer’s Reference, 8th ed., with Exercises, Hacker

and Sommers.
•  Everyone’s An Author tumblr site:

hXp://everyonesanauthor.tumblr.com

Assignment Submission

Major essays and most daily assignments will be submiXed electronically. Unless otherwise instructed, save
files either as Microsoa Word documents or as .rb files. Major assignments must follow MLA essay format
guidelines (see Everyone’s an Author pages 571 and 574 for instruc$ons and an example). Late work is not
accepted. Important: I am not responsible for a sole copy of any work. Keep backup copies and/or verificaJon
of all submiKed assignments.

Grade DeterminaCon Points (if Percentage Correspondence
Category applicable) of Course
Check email and D2L frequently. I
Essays: Literacy Narra$ve (15%); 100 each 55% may update assignments or pass
Repor$ng Informa$on-Profile along per$nent informa$on day by
(15%); Arguing a Posi$on (15%); day. Note that I do not respond to
Annotated Bibliography (10%) emails 24 hours a day—plan your
correspondence accordingly. To
Research Argumenta$on Paper 100 20% meet in person, please make
100 each 5% arrangements with me before or
Response Papers 15% aaer class or drop by during my
100 5% office hours. Important: To
Daily Assignments 100% guarantee that I will respond to
your emails, use your Lonestar
Mandatory Final Exam email account.

Total:

Student Preparation Strategy

Students will read the Walter Cronkite essay “How to Read a Newspaper” before class
to prepare for a unit about reporting information and evaluating information.

To make sure students read Cronkite’s essay—with deep understanding—they will
complete a D2L assignment due before class and be prepared to discuss their answers
to the following questions during class:

1. The preface to “How to Read a Newspaper” says that its author, Walter Cronkite,

was an “advocate of the need for a free people to remain free by keeping fully
informed.” Where in the essay is that idea evident? Explain your position.
2. Cronkite says that inclusion of “why” in news stories often is missing, even though it
may be the key ingredient of the story. What does he mean by that statement, and
in what ways does he suggest readers can learn the “why”, even if the story doesn’t
include it?
3. When talking about the editorial page, Cronkite says he forms his own opinion
about issues before reading the pundits’ opinions. Only then is he ready to consider
their reasoning. “Resist the temptation,” he says, “to let them do your thinking for
you.” In what ways can you heed this advice while consulting your outlets for news
opinion in today’s world?

BOPPPS LESSON PLAN—Rather

COURSE: ENGL 1301-5031 (Instructor: Rodney Rather)
Lesson Title: How to Think Like a Reporter: Tools for Writing Objective Information Essays


Bridge: How will you gain learner interest and set the stage for the lesson?
I will start class by telling the students about a story I covered as a newspaper reporter. Its purpose is to emphasize the difference between providing objective
yet meaningful information and opinion. (The story involves coverage of a country-club neighborhood house fire, a heroic teenage babysitter, and insensitive
bystanders.) Lead-in question after I finish my story:


• “Why weren’t my observations considered objective?” (Bloom’s: Analyzing)

Estimated time: 3 minutes

Course Student Learning Outcome:
Student Learning Outcome

Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to


1. identify the five Ws and one H (who, what, when, where, why, and how) of a news report.
(Bloom’s Level: Understanding: Students will be able to identify the five Ws and one H.)

2. write a news lead (thesis statement) based on reporter’s notes that will be provided to them.
(Bloom’s Levels: Applying and Analyzing: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to write (implement) a news lead by differentiating relevant
information from reporter’s notes.




Pre-Assessment: How will you assess learner prior knowledge of the topic? This could possibly tie to the student preparation strategy you developed.
• I will use Plickers, a student response system that does not require electronic devices from the students, as a real-time formative assessment
tool to gauge how well the students have absorbed key information.
• For this lesson, I will ask four multiple-choice questions to assess whether students understand key ideas of “How to Read a Newspaper,” which
is important before we move to the next phase of the class. If the students are struggling, I can spend more time discussing those key ideas.

Estimated time: 6 minutes

Participatory Learning:
HIGHLIGHT AND LABEL THE FOLLOWING:

• 4 questions with Bloom’s level identified
• New instructional technology you are trying
• At least one classroom assessment technique (CAT)

Instructor Activities Learner Activities Lesson Materials
Time
Listen with zeal PowerPoint
5 “How to Read a Newspaper” / How presentation
minutes to Write a Lead Presentation-Part Read newspaper article; identify “How to Read a Newspaper” news elements
One Current newspapers
10 Table discussion of articles
minutes
3 Listen with the joy of learning
minutes
“How to Read a Newspaper” / How
5 to Write a Lead Presentation-Part
minutes Two

Group Activity: arrange scrambled story/stories into inverted pyramid order and write Sets of index cards
25 lead for them and answer the following questions: with pieces of news
minutes stories on each
one/giant Post-it
8 Guide discussion of arrangement • Which of the 5 Ws and an H are missing from the story, and can you explain Notes
minutes and lead why they are missing? (Bloom’s: Analyzing)

• How can you construct a news lead based on the facts and quotations from
the group activity? (Bloom’s: Creating) Hard copies of a
news story(ies);
blank index cards

8 Discussion and display of groups’ story arrangement and leads
minutes

One-Sentence Summary CAT: Students individually answer the questions “Who
does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?” (WDWWWWHW) about a
given topic and then creates a single informative, grammatical, and long
summary sentence.


1. Read the brief news story provided (hard copies will be provided in
class):
https://www.apnews.com/8cd9971cee074f88ae1a95ecae961f94/Invest
igators-suspect-FedEx-bomb-is-tied-to-Austin-bombings

2. Write your name at the top of an index card (provided on the table).
3. On the index card, write a one-sentence summary of the news story

that answers the following questions:
• “Who does what to whom, when, where, how and why?”
(Bloom’s: Understanding)

The purpose of the CAT is to see if students are able to identify the five Ws and
one H of a news report.

The CAT should allow me to see quickly 1) if they can distinguish between each
of the news elements (it’s not always as easy as it seems) and 2) if they can put
those elements into context by writing a one-sentence summary of the news
report.


Post-assessment: How will you assess if objectives have been met?

• I will gauge the results of the group activity, which will be posted on giant Post-it Notes on the classroom walls, for student understanding of
organization and thesis statements for objective informational essays.

Estimated time: concurrent with group discussion and displays
• I also will review the students’ CATs for individual ability to distinguish news elements and put them into context.

Estimated time: concurrent with the CAT activity
Summary: How will you close the lesson?
I will close by signaling to the students that they will apply what they’ve learned to their informational profile essay, which will be introduced in the next class
period.
Estimated time: 2 minutes


LESSON MATERIALS ATTACHED:

• “How to Read a Newspaper” PowerPoint presentation
• News stories for the group activity

o Example of one set of scrambled story index cards

How To Read A Newspaper
By Walter Cronkite

The following information is from the NIE Institute. International Paper asked Walter Cronkite,
for years television’s foremost news anchorman, and an ardent advocate of the need for a free
people to remain free by keeping fully informed, to tell you how your newspaper can help you
cope better with your world each day. Mr. Cronkite died at the age of 92 on July 17, 2009.

If you’re like most people, you try to keep up with the news by watching it on television. That’s
how 65% of us get 100% of our news – from the 24-odd-minute TV news broadcast each
evening.

The problem – and I know the frustration of it firsthand – is that unless something really special
happens, we in TV news have to put severe time limitations on every story, even the most
complicated and important ones.

Get more than headlines
So what we bring you is primarily a front-page headline service. To get all you need to know,
you have to flesh out those headlines with a complete account of the news from a well-edited and
thorough newspaper.

Is it really necessary to get the whole story? Dorothy Greene Friendly put it this way: “What the
American people don’t know can kill them.” Amen.

News people have a responsibility. And so do you. Ours is to report the news fairly, accurately
and completely. Yours is to keep yourself informed every day. I’ll never forget the quotation
hanging in Edward R. Murrow’s CBS office. It was from Thoreau: “It takes two to speak the
truth – one to speak and one to hear.”

Take a three-minute overview
Here’s how I tackle the paper. For starters, I take a three-minute overview of the news. No need
to go to the sports section first, or the TV listings. With my overview you’ll get there quickly
enough. First I scan through the front-page headlines, look at the pictures and read the captions. I
do the same thing page by page front to back. Only then do I go back for the whole feast.

The way the front page is “made up” tells you plenty. For one thing, headline type size will tell
you how the paper’s editor ranks the stories on relative importance. A major crop failure in
Russia should get larger type than an overturned truck of wheat on the Interstate, for example.

Which is the main story?
You’ll find the main or lead story in the farthest upper-right hand column. Why? Tradition.
Newspapers used to appear on newsstands folded and displayed with their top right-hand quarter
showing. They made up the front page with the lead story there to entice readers.

You’ll find the second most important story at the top far left, unless it’s related to the lead story.
Do you have to read all the stories in the paper? Gosh, no. But you check them all. Maybe the
one that appears at first to be the least appealing will be the one that will most affect your life.

News is information, period
A good newspaper provides four basic ingredients to help you wrap your mind around the news:
information, background, analysis and interpretation.

Rule #1 of American journalism is: “News columns are reserved only for news.” What is news?
It is information only. You can tell a good newspaper story. It just reports the news. It doesn’t try
to slant it. And it gives you both sides of the story.

Look out for a lot of adjectives and adverbs. They don’t belong in an objective news story. They
tend to color and slant it so you may come to a wrong conclusion.

Do look for bylines, datelines and the news service sources of articles. These will also help you
judge a story’s importance and its facts.

As you read a story you can weigh its truthfulness by asking yourself, “Who said so?” Look out
for “facts” that come from unnamed sources, such as “a highly placed government official.” This
could tip you off that the story is not quite true, or that someone – usually in Washington – is
sending up a “trial balloon” to see if something that may happen or be proposed gets a good
reception.

Another tip: check for “Corrections” items. A good newspaper will straighten out false or wrong
information as soon as it discovers its error. A less conscientious one will let it slide or bury it.

An Upside Down Pyramid
Reporters write news stories in a special way called the “inverted pyramid” style. That means
they start with the end, the climax of the story, with the most important facts first, then building
more details in order of importance. This is unlike the telling or writing of most stories, where
you usually start at the beginning and save the climax for last. Knowing about the newspaper’s
“inverted pyramid” style will help you sift facts.

A well-reported story will tell you “who”, “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how.” The best
newspapers will go on to tell you “why.” “Why” is often missing. And that may be the key
ingredient.

Many important stories are flanked by “sidebars.” These are supporting stories that offer, not
news, but the “why” – background and analysis – to help you understand and evaluate it.

Background offers helpful facts. Analysis frequently includes opinion. So it should be – and
usually is – carefully labeled as such. It’s generally by-lined by an expert on the subject who
explains the causes of the news and its possible consequences to you. No good newspaper will
mix interpretation with the “hard” news, either. Interpretation goes beyond analysis and tells you

not just what will probably happen, but what ought to happen. This should be clearly labeled, or
at best, reserved for the editorial page or “op-ed” (opposite the editorial) page.

Form your own opinion first
I form my own opinion before I turn to the editorial page for the pundits’ views. I don’t want
them to tell me how to think until I’ve wrestled the issue through to my own conclusion. Once I
have, I’m open to other reasoning. Resist the temptation to let them do your thinking for you.

Here’s an idea I firmly believe in and act on. When you read something that motivates you, do
something about it. Learn more about it. Join a cause. Write a letter. You can constantly vote on
issues by writing letters, particularly to your congressman or state or local representative.

To understand the news better, you can also read news magazines. Books help to fill in the holes
too. During the Vietnam War, for example, many people felt that the daily news wasn’t entirely
satisfactory. The truth is, you could have gotten many important new facts from the books
coming out at the time.

Pick a TV story and follow it
Now that I’ve taught you the basics of getting under the skin of a newspaper, let newspapers get
under your skin.

Tonight, pick an important story that interests you on the TV news. Dig into the story – in your
newspaper. Follow it, and continue to follow it closely in print. See if you don’t find yourself
with far more understanding of the event.

And see if you don’t have a far more sensible opinion as to the “whys” and “wherefores” of that
event, even down to how it will affect you – and maybe even what should be done about it.

Keep up with the news the way my colleagues and I do – on TV and in the newspapers. Learn to
sift it for yourself, to heft it, to value it, to question it, to ask for it all. You’ll be in better control
of your life and your fortunes.

And that’s the way it is.
Walter Cronkite

4/5/18

How to Read a
Newspaper

And How to Write a Journalism Lead

Why To Read a Newspaper

“News people have a responsibility. And so do you. Ours
is to report the news fairly, accurately and
completely. Yours is to keep yourself informed every
day.”

1

4/5/18

Learning Objectives

•  By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify
the five Ws and one H (who, what, when, where,
why, and how) of a news report.

•  By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write a
news lead (thesis statement) based on reporter’s
notes that will be provided to you.

Before Reading

•  Get a quick overview
•  scan news headlines
•  look at pictures and their captions

•  Check out the page layout for clues of important
stories
•  type size
•  placement on the page / screen
•  related stories

2

While Reading 4/5/18
3
•  Does the story provide information or slant it?
•  Is more than one side covered?
•  Beware overuse of adjectives and adverbs

•  they indicate possible bias
•  Check for bylines, datelines and news service sources
•  Ascertain who is speaking

•  reliable source?
•  unnamed source?
•  biased source?

The Inverted Pyramid

The Lead—the most important information first (5 Ws and an H)

Important facts, details,
quotes, evidence

Less
important

details,
background,

etc.

4/5/18

Five Ws and an H

•  Good news stories tell you
•  Who
•  What
•  When
•  Where
•  Why
•  How

•  Really good news stories pack all of that into the lead

Let’s Read a News Story

•  Choose a story from the section of newspaper I give you.
•  Read it.
•  Answer these questions on paper.

1.  Does the story provide information in an unbiased way?
2.  Is more than one side of the story covered? If so, what

are they. If not, explain why not?
3.  Are sources reliable? Explain.
4.  Are the five Ws and an H evident in the story? What are

they, specifically. If any are missing, why do you think
they are missing?

4

4/5/18

Watch This

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Midc38AUU

Remind Me: What is
Journalism?

Class discussion based on the preceding video

5

4/5/18

Group Activity!

•  Each group gets a set of index cards.
•  Each card has a piece of a news story on it.
•  The lead is not included.
1.  Arrange the cards in the order your group believes makes the most sense.
2.  Once the story is arranged, decide as a group what the lead of the story should be.
3.  Write the lead on a piece of paper.
4.  Trade story cards with another group. Repeat activity.
5.  Write the lead for each of your stories on the corresponding giant Post-It Note on the wall.
6.  Share your stories with the class, explain why you placed the cards in the order you did, and

explain why your lead works well.

—30—

6



Federal court rules against AT&T
By Brian Fung, The Washington Post

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of the Federal Trade Commission in a closely
watched case that threatened to undercut the consumer watchdog's ability to pursue
certain misbehaving companies throughout the U.S. economy.

While the case nominally began as an FTC crackdown on Dallas-based AT&T's
marketing of "unlimited data" plans for cellphones, the legal battle soon took on much
greater significance as the telecom giant sought to defend itself. Ultimately, the case has
raised major questions about the extent of the FTC's power to hold corporations
accountable.

Monday's ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reaffirms the FTC's
powers, ensuring that companies cannot immunize themselves from the agency's
oversight simply by acquiring a stake, however small, in the telecom business - a
loophole that analysts say would have been devastating to the FTC's mission had it been
allowed to stand.

"This is the loophole that could've swallowed the Internet," said Paul Gallant, an industry
analyst at the research firm Cowen & Co. "Not just net neutrality, but online privacy
regulation - an area that's becoming awfully important."

In its ruling, the 9th Circuit held that AT&T cannot exempt its entire business from FTC
oversight merely because a portion of its business is regulated by the Federal
Communications Commission, a sister agency.

"AT&T repackages the failed arguments made by regulated parties in [previous] cases: it
claims company-wide protection from the FTC because it engaged in some activities
performed by an exempted party," the 9th Circuit ruled.

Key to understanding the case is a snippet of vague verbiage, written by Congress
decades ago, laying out the boundaries of the FTC's powers.

Under the legislation, the FTC may investigate and sue companies that engage in unfair
and deceptive business practices. It was that power the FTC cited in an October 2014
lawsuit going after AT&T; the telecom giant, regulators alleged, had misled the public in
the late 2000s by slowing down its "unlimited" data plans without doing enough to
inform consumers about the practice.

The FTC's authority ends, however, at a special carve-out in its charter known as the
"common carrier exemption." The exemption helps limit the legal exposure of companies
that are already regulated as common carriers by other agencies. For example, telecom
companies' networks are regulated by the FCC, so the FTC does not oversee those
networks.

While the FTC has historically held jurisdiction over the non-network-related aspects of
telecom companies -- such as marketing -- AT&T argued that even those parts of its
business should be exempt from FTC oversight because the purpose of those departments
is to support its network business. In so doing, the company was advocating for an
effective expansion of the common carrier exemption.

A court decision from the 9th Circuit agreed with AT&T in 2016, handing the FTC a
major defeat. Supporters of the FTC at the time called it a "fatal blow" to consumer
protections. Competition experts in Washington were flabbergasted at a ruling that
appeared to upend years of established jurisprudence.

The 2016 decision meant that, for example, a fast-food chain could legally escape FTC
oversight by buying up a small telecom company and claiming that it was a common
carrier, just like AT&T. The FCC, meanwhile, might have jurisdiction over the burger
chain's tiny telecom business but little else.

Things became even more complex when the FCC proposed doing away with its net
neutrality regulations. That decision, led by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, sought to put the
FTC in control of policing misconduct by Internet providers. But, legal experts said,
because many internet providers also sell telephone service, the 2016 court ruling gave
those providers a convenient way to evade the FTC on matters of net neutrality.

"Under the new net neutrality regime, it [became] theoretically possible for an ISP to be
subject to only limited oversight by the FCC and no oversight by the FTC, if an ISP were
a common carrier in any aspect of its business," said Robert Cooper, an antitrust lawyer
at the firm Boies Schiller Flexner.

Monday's decision from the 9th Circuit resolves much of that complexity, closing the
door to that loophole and making clear that the FTC can sue companies that mislead
consumers even if those companies happen to run a telephone business regulated by the
FCC.

"I welcome the 9th Circuit's ruling as good news for consumers," said FTC acting
chairman Maureen Ohlhausen. "It ensures that the FTC can and will continue to play its
vital role in safeguarding consumer interests including privacy protection, as well as
stopping anticompetitive market behavior.

The 2016 decision meant that, for example, a fast-food chain could legally escape FTC
oversight by buying up a small telecom company and claiming that it was a common
carrier, just like AT&T. The FCC, meanwhile, might have jurisdiction over the burger
chain's tiny telecom business but little else.

Things became even more complex when the FCC proposed doing away with its net
neutrality regulations. That decision, led by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, sought to put the
FTC in control of policing misconduct by Internet providers. But, legal experts said,

because many internet providers also sell telephone service, the 2016 court ruling gave
those providers a convenient way to evade the FTC on matters of net neutrality.

"Under the new net neutrality regime, it [became] theoretically possible for an ISP to be
subject to only limited oversight by the FCC and no oversight by the FTC, if an ISP were
a common carrier in any aspect of its business," said Robert Cooper, an antitrust lawyer
at the firm Boies Schiller Flexner.

Monday's decision from the 9th Circuit resolves much of that complexity, closing the
door to that loophole and making clear that the FTC can sue companies that mislead
consumers even if those companies happen to run a telephone business regulated by the
FCC.

"I welcome the 9th Circuit's ruling as good news for consumers," said FTC acting
chairman Maureen Ohlhausen. "It ensures that the FTC can and will continue to play its
vital role in safeguarding consumer interests including privacy protection, as well as
stopping anticompetitive market behavior.

But the legal battle is far from over. Now that the FTC has successfully defended its right
to bring a suit against AT&T in the first place, the agency must convince judges that the
wireless carrier's use of the word "unlimited" to describe its unlimited data plans was, in
fact, unfair or deceptive.

"Today's decision on jurisdiction does not address the merits of the case," AT&T said in a
statement Monday. "We are reviewing the opinion and continue to believe we ultimately
will prevail."

Austin-area officer hit by vehicle, then lightning strikes near investigators

By Jacob Prothro, The Dallas Morning News

A Central Texas man was killed after he was hit by a car over the weekend, setting off an
unusual series of events that left one officer struck by a car and three others hospitalized
after a lightning strike.

Around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, officers in Round Rock responded to a report of a pedestrian
walking near Interstate 35 about 20 miles north of Austin, according to the Austin
American-Statesman. They found a man's body and closed nearby roads.

Nearly an hour later, Round Rock police Officer Charles White was hit by a vehicle as he
directed traffic on I-35. He was taken to a hospital, where he remains in serious
condition, according to the Statesman.

Then, around 10 a.m., lightning struck nearby. Three officers were hospitalized and
released later in the day.

On Monday, 55-year-old Raul Martinez was charged with intoxication assault in
connection with the officer's injury.

The dead pedestrian was identified as 26-year-old Amir Azad, according to
the Statesman. Authorities are still searching for the driver who struck him.

Rescued pot-bellied pig named Molly eaten by new owners
By Don Sweeney, The Sacramento Bee

Molly, a 3-year-old pot-bellied pig, arrived at a British Columbia SPCA shelter in May
emaciated after being rescued with 57 other pigs during an animal cruelty investigation.
Shelter workers spent months nursing her back to health and finally sent her off to a new
adoptive home on Vancouver Island in January.

Then her new owners cooked and ate her in February while posting photos of her meat
being seasoned to Snapchat, reported The Cowichan Valley Citizen.

“It’s a nightmare,” Sandi Trent, manager of the Cowichan & District branch of the SPCA
where Molly was nursed back to health, told the publication. “This is just devastating for
us.”

“It takes a special type of person to adopt an animal from a rescue organization simply to
take them home to kill them, and eat them,” wrote the RASTA Sanctuary on Facebook.
The post noted the organization was involved in the investigation that led to Molly’s
rescue.

“Why wasn’t it returned, why didn’t they re-home it, why wasn’t there charges being
pressed?” asked Brandee McKee, also a Vancouver Island resident, reported Global
News. “That’s the sickening part of it all, that they’re getting away with it.”

But Lori Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the British Columbia
SPCA, told Canadian Television News that the new owners had every legal right to kill
and eat Molly, as long as it was done humanely.

“Because they were the legal owners of the animal after the adoption and it is not illegal
in Canada to eat animals for food, we have no legal recourse to recommend any charges,”
Chortyk said. The couple, who had signed a pledge saying they were not adopting Molly
for food, has been banned from adopting animals at SPCA shelters in British Columbia,
but that’s all the organization can do, Chortyk told Canadian Television News.

On Saturday, a Facebook poster using the name Austin Manson Forget posted an
apology, since removed, identifying himself as Molly’s former owner and apologizing for
eating her, Global News reported.

“I promise that I did not adopt Molly with the intention of killing her, it was only when
she became aggressive with my partner’s dog and had tried breaking through our glass
door that I made the decision to have her put down,” the now-deleted post read, reported
Global News. “... I realize that what I did was wrong, and I cannot fix it, I can only
continue to apologize.”

Nobody knows exactly how many assault rifles exist in the U.S.—by design

By Kate Irby, McClatchy DC Bureau

Lawmakers convene next week under pressure to consider limits on the purchase of
assault rifles. But as congressional aides on both sides of the debate scramble to draw up
background reports and statistics on the issue for their bosses, they’ll run into a basic
informational roadblock: No one has any idea how many assault rifles are in circulation.

That’s intentional. By law, the government isn’t allowed to gather that metric and put it
in a modern, searchable electronic database.

“Those numbers don’t exist because there’s no national registry,” said Jan Kemp,
spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Because
by law, we are not allowed to have a national registry.”

The gun industry’s argument against a registry that tracks the sale of guns goes like this,
according to former ATF agent Mark Jones: If the government kept a database on
firearms sold, it would have a de facto registry of gun owners, and if that existed, then the
government would be just a step away from being able to confiscate people’s guns.

“The gun industry says they’re afraid that the government will come and take their guns
away,” Jones said.

Jennifer Baker, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association, said the NRA
is opposed to any sort of national gun registry, and said that knowing how many assault
rifles are in circulation would be of no help to lawmakers considering legislation. (The
NRA also has come out against raising the minimum age to buy an assault rifle to 21.)

“There’s no reason for the government to have a registry,” Baker said. “There’s no public
safety reason for this other than having a roadmap to confiscating guns.”
The Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, Florida, has heightened scrutiny of assault rifles. The killer used an AR-15
rifle, one of the most popular weapons in America both among general gun owners
(the National Rifle Association calls it “America’s Most Popular Rifle”) and mass
shooters (it has been used in 11 mass shootings since 2012, according to Stanford
Geospatial Center, Stanford Libraries and USA Today research). AR-15 rifles and their
cousins are special because although they are semi-automatic weapons and therefore only
fire one bullet each time the trigger is pulled, they are known for being accurate and easy
to modify with accessories such as extended magazines, to shoot hundreds of bullets
without reloading, and bump stocks, to allow faster shooting.

Parkland student survivors have been calling for a ban on all assault weapons in the wake
of the shooting, while President Donald Trump has voiced support for raising the
minimum age to buy such weapons from 18 to 21. Trump said he has spoken with many
members of Congress who support the increased age restriction.

The National Firearms Act forbids “any system of registration of firearms, firearms
owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions be established.” Several restrictions
added to congressional appropriations bills also prohibit ATF from requiring gun dealers
to submit their inventories to law enforcement. The effect is to prevent ATF from setting
up a system that would allow electronic retrieval of gun owners’ personal identification
information, and from consolidating or centralizing records provided by firearms dealers.

Practically, that means firearm dealers retain their own records on gun sales and only
give that information to ATF when or if they go out of business. Once with ATF, the
records must be stored in a non-electronic form that is not easily searchable – currently in
a warehouse of paper files in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The ATF cannot request
information, such as how many AR-15s have been sold that year, from firearms dealers,
and searching their own paper database for that information is next to impossible.

The only figures available that give even a hint of how many assault rifles may exist in
the U.S. is manufacturer data. ATF publishes annual reports on the number of pistols,
rifles, revolvers and shotguns manufactured and distributed in the U.S., but none of those
categories are broken down more specifically, and there’s no way of knowing how many
were actually sold to individuals.

Still, while limited, that data would seem to indicate the popularity of rifles and pistols
has exploded in the past decade — manufacturing of guns in both categories has more
than doubled. In 2007, 1.6 million rifles were made and distributed in the U.S., while
by 2016the number was up to 4.2 million. That doesn’t count rifles made overseas and
imported into the U.S., or those manufactured in the U.S. and exported to other countries.

But the rifle category includes hunting rifles, semi-automatic hunting rifles, pump-action
rifles and single-shot rifles. When asked how data could be obtained for each type of

rifle, Jones, who worked at ATF for about two decades, said “we have absolutely no
idea.”
“They don’t break it out deliberately,” Jones said. “That way it’s hard to tell anything
really specific about these numbers.”

The NRA estimates that between 8.5 million and 15 million assault rifles are in
circulation based on manufacturer data, said Baker, the group’s public affairs director.

The FBI also publishes figures on the number of firearm background checks conducted
through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System every year. Those
figures have rocketed as well. In 2007, the FBI conducted about 11 million NICS firearm
background checks ; in 2017 it conducted about 25 million. But the FBI also cautions
those numbers can’t be used to draw conclusions about how many firearms are actually
sold, and figures are not broken down based on type of firearm.

Dave Chipman, who worked for the ATF for 25 years and is now a senior policy adviser
at Giffords, an organization that lobbies for stricter gun laws, said the gun lobby tries to
make it appear there are tens of millions of assault rifles already in circulation throughout
the U.S. population; that way, it can argue the guns are commonly used, which will make
Congress more reluctant to regulate.

“Do we have 5 million or 20 million of these?” Chipman said. “You want to know that
difference, and you’re also looking at lawsuits based on impact to the public.”

One of the only public comprehensive estimates of AR-15s in circulation was done by
Mark Overstreet, a research coordinator for the NRA, for a court case in 2009. Overstreet
estimated 2.1 million assault rifles had been produced and distributed in the U.S. between
1986 and 2009. He also estimated that AR-15s accounted for 14.4 percent of all rifles
manufactured in 2007. If that proportion held true in 2016, then more than 610,000 AR-
15s were produced and distributed in the U.S. that year alone. But that’s very much an
estimate.

Chipman estimated that there are 10 million assault rifles currently in circulation, but said
he had “no comfort level” with that number and that he was “spitballing.”
“Even if that’s right, is it 10 people with a million guns, or 10 million people with one
gun? We don’t know, and that doesn’t help good government looking out for public
safety,” Chipman said. “When you don’t have numbers, you can quickly just say, ‘Oh,
this is an impossible task.’ That’s a common narrative with the gun lobby, and it’s
resonated with Congress.”

Module 3-Formal Assessment-Rather



Student Learning Outcome

Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts.

SMART Learning Objectives


1. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify the five Ws and one H
(who, what, when, where, why, and how) of a news report.

2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to write a news lead (thesis
statement) based on reporter’s notes that will be provided to them.



Formal Assessment Questions

1. According to “How to Read a Newspaper,” which news element often is missing or
incomplete in news stories? (Lower Level Bloom’s: “Remembering”)


a. who
b. how
c. what
d. why

2. What comes immediately after the lead in a news story written as an inverted
pyramid? (Lower Level Bloom’s: “Remembering” and “Understanding”)

a. background information
b. important facts
c. the reporter’s stated purpose
d. the dateline



3. In the space provided below, write a valid news lead based on the following
reporter’s notes for a news story. (Upper Level Bloom’s: “Analyzing”)


Police officers responded to a report of a pedestrian walking near Interstate 35 in Round
Rock on Sunday.

When officers arrived in the area at 5:35 a.m., they found a dead man, killed by an
unknown vehicle.

The dead pedestrian was identified as 26-year-old Amir Azad. Authorities are still
searching for the driver who struck him.

At at 6:30 a.m., Round Rock Police Officer Charles White, who was directing I-35 traffic
while the man’s death was being investigated, was hit by a vehicle.

White is in serious condition at a local hospital.

Three other police officers investigating the man’s death at the scene were injured at 10
a.m. by a nearby lightning strike. They were hospitalized and later released.

The driver of the vehicle that hit White, 55-year-old Raul Martinez, was charged with
intoxication assault in connection with the officer's injury.







4. In a paragraph of five to eight sentences, defend the journalistic quality of your lead
from the previous question by explaining which of the six news elements was essential
to your lead and why. You may discuss more than one of the six elements. (Upper Level
Bloom’s: “Evaluating”)

Information Profile Essay Rubric



This rubric assesses the information profile essay for Composition I students. It includes criteria learned specifically for
this essay as well as criteria for general Composition I writing skills and expectations at this point in the semester.

Poor Fair Good Excellent
0-9 points 10-19 points 20-23 points 24-25 points
Content and Lack of or insufficient Insufficient content: Sufficient content: Strong content: all
Development explanation, explanations, examples, supporting supporting explanations,
Does the writer develop examples, details or details, or reasons are explanations, examples, details, and
the essay in a convincing reasons to provide an not sufficient to provide examples, details, descriptions provide a
way? Are there at least 3 understandable a clear, meaningful reasons, and clear, meaningful, and
strong reasons to profile. profile. descriptions provide a engaging profile.
support the writer's clear, meaningful
thesis statement? Ideas are not divided Ideas are divided into profile. Ideas are divided into
Organization properly into paragraphs. Thesis Ideas are divided into effective paragraphs.
Are the writer's ideas paragraphs. Thesis statement is present, paragraphs. Thesis Thesis statement is clear,
divided into paragraphs? statement and topic but it is unclear. Some statement is clear and effective, and thought-
Is there a clear thesis sentences aren't ideas are present, but effective. Ideas are provoking. Ideas are clear,
statement & 3 topic clear or are missing. they are unclear, mostly clear and effective and engaging.
sentences? Is there an Ideas are missing or confusing, and/or effective, but at times Introduction, body, and
introduction, body, and incomplete. inconsistent. are underdeveloped. conclusion are clear and
conclusion? Introduction, body, Introduction, body, and Introduction, body, and cohesive.
and conclusion are conclusion are poorly conclusion are clearly
missing or divided. divided and Excellent
incomplete. recognizable. 24-25 points
Descriptive Language & Poor Fair Writer uses effective,
Vocabulary 0-9 points 10-19 points Good engaging, and meaningful
Does the writer use Writer does not use Writer uses some 20-23 points language and/or quotes to
descriptive language, descriptive language descriptive language Writer uses clear, describe the person, place,
quotes and appropriate and/or quotes to and/or quotes to descriptive language or activity. Vocabulary
vocabulary? describe the person, describe the person, and/or quotes to clearly and consistently
place, or activity. place, or activity, but the describe the person, demonstrates the
Vocabulary does not description is unclear, place, or activity, but academic rhetorical
demonstrate the confusing or incomplete. the description is situation.
Style and Point of View academic rhetorical Vocabulary somewhat unclear, confusing or
Is the writer's style situation and/or is demonstrates the incomplete. Vocabulary Excellent
expressive or dull? Is it inappropriate for the academic rhetorical demonstrates the 24-25 points
easy to understand? Are assignment. situation. academic rhetorical Writing is smooth, skillful,
the sentences Poor Fair situation. and coherent. Sentences
interesting and varied? 0-9 points 10-19 points Good are strong and expressive
Is the writer's Writing is confusing Writing is mostly clear, 20-23 points with varied structure.
perspective clear? and hard to follow. but sentences lack Writing is clear and Observational first-person
Sentences are dull variety and interest. easy to understand, but point of view is consistent.
and monotonous. Observational first- dull in spots. Sentences
Grammar Observational first- person point of view is are varied, but still Excellent
Are there errors in person point of view inconsistent in spots. need some revision. 19-20 points
spelling, punctuation, is lacking or Observational first- No errors in punctuation,
inconsistent. Fair person point of view is spelling, grammar, or
Poor 10-14 points consistent. capitalization that distract
0-5 points Some punctuation, Good
Contains many grammar, and spelling 15-18 points
spelling, punctuation, errors make the writing Punctuation, spelling,
and grammatical grammar, and
capitalization are

errors that make the difficult to understand in generally correct. The the reader and/or make
and capitalization? Are writing difficult to spots. errors don't interfere the ideas difficult to
there grammar errors, understand. with the writer's understand.
such as run-ons, Fair meaning.
fragments, and comma Poor 2-3 points Excellent
splices that make the 0 points Follows MLA style, but Good 5 points
writer's ideas difficult to Does not follow MLA contains several 4 points Follows MLA style without
understand? style. formatting errors. Follows MLA style, but errors.
contains one or two
individual errors.
Formatting
Does the formatting
follow MLA style?

4/6/18

ACP Showcase Portfolio

How to Think Like a Reporter:
Tools for Writing Objective Information Essays

RODNEY RATHER
ENGLISH COMPOSITION I
APRIL 3, 2018

Also available as an animated Emaze presenta8on here: h;ps://www.emaze.com/@AOLCTTOII/acp-showcaseporFolio-rather

Table of Contents

 Student Prepara8on Strategy

 BOPPPS Lesson:
◦  Bridge
◦  Learning Objec8ves
◦  Pre-Assessment

◦  Instruc8onal Technology

◦  Par8cipatory Lesson

◦  Apply “How to Read a Newspaper” advice to newspaper ar8cle
◦  Descramble index-card news stories as groups
◦  Develop leads for recons8tuted stories
◦  Cri8cal ques8ons
◦  BOPPS CAT
◦  One Sentence Summary

◦  BOPPS Post Assessment
◦  BOPPS Summary
Reflec8on

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Student Preparation Strategy

 Students will read the Walter Cronkite essay “How to Read a Newspaper” before class to
prepare for a unit about repor8ng informa8on and evalua8ng informa8on.
 To make sure students read Cronkite’s essay—with deep understanding—they will complete a
D2L assignment due before class and be prepared to discuss their answers to the following
ques8ons during class:
◦  The preface to “How to Read a Newspaper ” says that its author, Walter Cronkite, was an “advocate of

the need for a free people to remain free by keeping fully informed.” Where in the essay is that idea
evident? Explain your posi8on.
◦  Cronkite says that inclusion of “why” in news stories o_en is missing, even though it may be the key
ingredient of the story. What does he mean by that statement, and in what ways does he suggest
readers can learn the “why”, even if the story doesn’t include it?
◦  When talking about the editorial page, Cronkite says he forms his own opinion about issues before
reading the pundits’ opinions. Only then is he ready to consider their reasoning. “Resist the
tempta8on,” he says, “to let them do your thinking for you.” In what ways can you heed this advice
while consul8ng your outlets for news opinion in today’s world?

BOPPPS – BRIDGE

 I will start class by telling the students about a story I covered as a newspaper
reporter. Its purpose is to emphasize the difference between providing objec8ve
yet meaningful informa8on and opinion. (The story involves coverage of a
country-club neighborhood house fire, a heroic teenage babysi;er, and
insensi8ve bystanders.)
 Lead-in ques8on a_er I finish my story:

◦  “Why weren’t my observa8ons considered objec8ve?”

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4/6/18

BOPPPS – LEARNING
OBJECTIVES

Student Learning Outcome
o  Read, reflect, and respond cri8cally to a variety of texts.

Learning Objec3ves
o  By the end of this lesson, students will be able to iden8fy the five Ws and one H (who, what, when,
where, why, and how) of a news report. (Bloom’s: Understanding)
o  By the end of this lesson, students will be able to write a news lead (thesis statement) based on
reporter’s notes that will be provided to them. (Bloom’s: Applying and Analyzing)

BOPPPS- PRE-ASSESSMENT

◦  I will use Plickers, a student response system that does not require electronic devices from the students, as a
real-8me forma8ve assessment tool to gauge how well the students have absorbed key informa8on.

◦  For this lesson, I will ask four mul8ple-choice ques8ons to assess whether students understand key ideas of
“How to Read a Newspaper,” which is important before we move to the next phase of the class. If the students
are struggling, I can spend more 8me discussing those key ideas.

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4/6/18

BOPPPS- PARTICIPATORY
LESSON

 Each student will review a page of a recent newspapers and apply Cronkite’s sugges8ons from
“How to Read a Newspaper” to one news story.
 As groups, students will a;empt to re-order scrambled news stories that have been printed on
index cards. The leads of the stories have been deleted. A_er arranging each story, the groups
will write their own lead. Each group will descramble several stories and share their leads with
the class (by recording them on large paper or on white boards).
 Cri8cal ques8ons for groups to consider:
◦  Which of the 5 Ws and an H are missing from the story, and can you explain why they are missing?

(Bloom’s: Analyzing)
◦  How can you construct a news lead based on the facts and quota8ons from the group ac8vity? (Bloom’s:

Crea8ng)

BOPPS CAT: ONE-SENTENCE
SUMMARY

 CAT Descrip8on:
◦  Spatbuuodrpueotn staes g aoinvf estwhne et orC ptAhiTce ia sqn tudoe tssh8eeeon ni fcs sr“etWuadtheeo na td ssoi naegrsel ew a ihbnalfeot rttmoo iwad8hevonem8, fg,y rw athhmeem nfi,av w8e chWaels,r eaa,nn hddo lowonn, eag n Hsdu o mwf mhay na?re”yw (sWse rnDetWpeonWrcteW a. _TWheHer WI h)a ve
introduced the concept and before they write their own news lead.

 ihSst;-u8pdesed:/n-/ttwos -wwAiwulls. ra8epnan-dbe owthmse.bc fioonmlglos/ w8cindg9 9n7e1wcse est0o7r4yf (8h8aared1 cao9p5ieecsa we9ill6 b1ef9 p4r/oInvvideesd8 gina tcolrass-ss)u: s pect-FedEx-bomb-
 “SWtuhdoen dtos ews iwll whartit teo a w ohnoem-s,e wntheennc,e w shuemrem, ahroyw o fa tnhde w nheyw?s” story that answers the following ques8ons:
 The CAT should allow me to see quickly if they can:

1.  dis8nguish between each of the news elements (it’s not always as easy as it seems) and
2.  put those elements into context by wri8ng a one-sentence summary of the news report.

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4/6/18

BOPPPS POST-ASSESSMENT

 I will gauge the results of the group ac8vity, which will be posted on giant Post-it Notes on the
classroom walls, for student understanding of organiza8on and thesis statements for objec8ve
informa8onal essays.
 I also will review the students’ CATs for individual ability to dis8nguish news elements and put
them into context.

BOPPPS- SUMMARY

 I will close by signaling to the students that they will apply what they’ve learned to their
informa8onal profile essay, which will be introduced in the next class period.
 The essay will require students to personally observe a person, place, or thing and record the
experience from an objec8ve point of view.

5

4/6/18

Personal Reflection on My ACP Experience

The ACP class has helped me (begin to) strengthen one of my long-8me weaknesses: complete
lesson planning.
Some of my best ideas are last-minute epiphanies that strike me while I’m driving to work. Those
lightning strikes don’t have 8me to percolate before they’re unleashed on the class the first 8me,
and I’ve taught long enough to manage any shortcomings in those lessons during class, but such
lessons don’t work a second 8me without robust lesson planning.
Because of this class, I am be;er prepared to build robust, dynamic lessons that will keep
students engaged consistently every day instead of occasionally.

6

Reflective Essay

The ACP class has reminded me of the importance of preparation and, more
importantly, it has shown me a plethora of tools and methods to prepare meaningful
lessons. While the idea of BOPPPS is really not new, the teaching of it in this class
crystallized its value in a way that I have never experienced before. The program has
made me more consistently mindful of my teaching approach and how to sharpen it or
manage it for my students.


One of the great advantages of ACP is that it allows instructors to incorporate lessons
learned in real time. I’ve used (a version of) the BOPPPS lesson I built for ACP in my
Composition I class, and it was a resounding success. I’ve also incorporated one of the
instructional technologies, Screencast-O-Matic, which has reduced my essay-grading
time significantly. Although I haven’t used it yet, I also will implement Plickers in class; I
like the idea that no students will be left out because they either don’t have or don’t
want to use their devices.

The ACP class has helped me (begin to) strengthen one of my long-time weaknesses:
complete lesson planning. Some of my best ideas are last-minute epiphanies that strike
me while I’m driving to work. Those lightning strikes don’t have time to percolate before
they’re unleashed on the class the first time, and I’ve taught long enough to manage any
shortcomings in those lessons during class, but such lessons don’t work a second time
without robust lesson planning. Because of this class, I am better prepared to build
robust, dynamic lessons that will keep students engaged consistently every day instead
of occasionally.

In addition to the ACP, I’d like to see professional development that offers a working
knowledge of Lone Star—the administrative and business sides of the college,
hierarchies, policies and the reasons for them, student and faculty resources—so that
adjuncts are grounded a bit in institutional memory that can help them advocate for

students’ success. I’m not talking about a leadership program here, for that sort of thing
often is associated with those seeking advancement into administrative roles. I’m
thinking of something that’s not quite that ambitious.