This document provides an agenda and summary for an English class. It discusses making inferences when reading, introduces the topic of the next essay assignment on "Education: Boundaries, Borders, and Bridges", and provides guidance on choosing topics and finding appropriate sources for the research paper. Students are instructed to pick three topic choices for the essay and submit them within a week. The document outlines finding sources through the library database and provides examples of potential essay topics.

1. ENGLISH 72(83R)
Monday, March 17, 2014
Elizabeth Buchanan
Assistant Professor
Porterville College

2. AGENDA
• Inferences in Reading and Writing
• Introduction to Essay #2

3. INFERENCES IN READING & WRITING

4. INFERENCES
• Have you heard the expression…
 Reading between the lines?
• Many important ideas in reading are not stated directly.
• Discovering these ideas is called making inferences or
drawing conclusions.

5. INFERENCES
• Involves using what you already know in order to choose the
most likely explanation from the facts.
• Example: wet floor in your kitchen…
• Something has spilled or there is a leak.

6. INFERENCES
• We all make inferences in daily living without consciously
thinking about them.
• When you are driving down the street and see police lights
flashing behind you, you usually infer that the police officer is
pulling you over.
• An inference is an educated guess or prediction about
something unknown based on available facts or information.

7. LET’S CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiCMG4-j2iY
• While the young man is speaking, think about who he is talking
to.
• What is he trying to explain to the other person?
• How does he feel about what he has done?

8. WHAT IS GOING ON? (VIDEO)
• Who is the young man talking to?
• How does he feel?
• How does the other person feel?
• Why is he sorry?
• What does he want the other person to say?
• What does the other person say?

9. LET’S LOOK A THE VIDEO AGAIN,
EXCEPT THIS TIME WE WILL
INCLUDE THE GIRLFRIEND.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt1IWCPk2oo
• Think about her side of the conversation.
• Does she understand what her boyfriend
has done?
• Does she think he is truly sorry?

10. INFERENCES
• He is talking to his girlfriend
• He is nervous about being confronted by her
• He apologizes and wants to explain why he was unfaithful.
• She won’t listen to him.
• Do you think she forgives him?

11. INFERENCES
• In the first video we had to try to infer what the young
man was talking about without being able to hear/see
what the other person was saying/thinking.
• In writing we make inferences and draw conclusions,
by using all the clues provided by the writer, our own
experience, and logic.

12. KEEP IN MIND
Draw conclusions and inferences based on what is
stated.
 Not your own opinion or attitude
Check back in the text to verify or locate information
that supports your conclusions.
Ask yourself if your inference is logical and reasonable.

13. LET’S PRACTICE WITH A MURDER
MYSTERY

14. INTRODUCTION TO ESSAY #2

15. ESSAY 2: “EDUCATION: BOUNDARIES,
BORDERS, AND BRIDGES.”
• The Porterville College Cultural and Historical Awareness
Program (CHAP) was organized in 2002 to enhance
students' awareness of certain important aspects of our
society to which they may previously have had little or no
exposure.
• This year the theme is “Education: Boundaries, Borders,
and Bridges.”

16. • For your second essay you will choose an educational theme
to write about.
• You will also adopt one of the following Patterns of
Organization to integrate into your essay.
• Cause and Effect
• Comparison and Contrast
• Chronological/Time Order
• Example and Definition

17. • This essay will be very different from the “This I
Believe” essay.
• First of all, it is not a personal statement.
• Second, you will be doing research.
• Thirdly, it will be a minimum of three (3) pages, and will
also have a Works Cited page.

18. FIND AND RECORD APPROPRIATE SOURCES
• Let’s discuss strategies for finding appropriate information.
• Consult a librarian.
• Use a systematic approach; start with general sources, then
move to more specific ones.
• Use current sources. For many topics, up-to-date information
is the most relevant or useful. You do not want to use ideas
that are outdated.

19. • Use sources that have a different viewpoint.
• Preview articles by reading abstracts and summaries
• Read sources selectively.
• Skim the material to locate information relevant to your
subject.

20. • Choose sources that are trustworthy and reliable.
• Look for sources that lead to other sources.
• Keep an accurate record of sources to avoid
plagiarism.

21. SOURCES
• Which of the following is the best source to use in writing a research paper?
• Simply “Google” it.
• Go to on line to Wikipedia
• Go to the library and search for books on the topic you are interested in.
• Go to the library database to search for articles.
• All of the above
• None of the above

22. SOURCES
• Absolutely do not “Google” or go to “Wikipedia.”
• You must use library resources only.
• This includes books and the library’s database.

23. LET’S PRACTICE
• Turn on your computer.
• From the Porterville website
• Scroll down on the left side of the page until you find “Library”
• Click on “Search Databases”
• Go to the Ebscohost Database (need password info here)

24. LET’S PRACTICE
• Pick one of the following topics to research:
• Privacy on social media sites
• The history of trade unions
• The spread, control, or treatment of “bird flu”
• The Great Depression of the 1930’s
• Legalized gambling (or lotteries)

25. PICK THREE TOPICS
• You have one week to review the Education topics, and submit
your top three choices.
• For each topic, only two students can report on it. Also if you
and another student are given the same topic, you will each
need to approach it from a different Pattern of Organization.

26. ASSIGNMENTS FOR WEDNESDAY
•Literature Circle 5
•Inferences Activity