Academic Reading

Welcome New Reading Students

2010-09-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Fall Semester 2010. Your first assignment is to get your books as soon as possible. Both English 188 and English 190 use "Introduction to Critical Reading" 6th edition. I encourage to buy the book used. Everyone also needs to buy or print for themselves the class syllabus book, what I call the "green" or cheap book. Also start your lab work this week. To do your lab work, go to:

http://moodle.glendale.edu

Your username is your GCC student ID number and your temporary password is your birthday in 6 numbers, for example, if your birthday is July 4, 1776, then your password is 070476.

Any problems? Feel free to email me anytime at ddoyle@glendale.edu

Be Sure to Tell Me Which Book You Are Reading

2010-07-04T22:41:00.000-07:00

This week everyone must commit to reading some book for the book report. Please go to the forum and report the name of the book

Mr.Doyle will be off campus on Friday

2010-03-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mr. Doyle will attending a conference in Anaheim this Friday, so he will not be teaching his Friday classes. Please make sure you are up-to-date with your lab work. We are now in week 5. English 190 students should register their book report book.

Remember to Change your Clock

2010-03-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

Mr.Doyle hopes you remembered to move your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, our you will be late for class one hour!

Mr.Doyle will be absent on Monday, March 1.

2010-02-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

Mr.Doyle will be absent on Monday, March 1 due to illness. It is now week #3. Make sure you are caught up with your lab work.

Welcome to Spring 2010

2010-02-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hi Reading Students in Mr.Doyle's Reading Classes,

As you know, the semester starts on Tuesday, February 16, so I expect only to see my T-Th classes on Tuesday. The MWF classes start on Wednesday, February 17.

If you still need to add the class, please show up on the first day. If I have enough desks, I will take you. If I don't have enough space, students will be added by lottery. Registered students who fail to show up will be dropped.

Lab work is required for these classes: Check out your lab work at http://english.glendale.edu

E-Mail Questions From Students

2010-01-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

On Jan 8, 2010, at 9:30 PM, A--- wrote:

Dear Professor,

I am trying to check if there is any way i can check if i did any of assignments when i log into the lab work. For example i do not want to do an assignment if i already did it, is there any way i can check that or do i just have to remember.

Sincerely,
A---

Hi A---,

Students can't look up their scores individually. I give you feed back once a week on Mondays at the link: http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/e190scores.pdf .Your scores are saved in a private file, then on the weekend, I paste them in an excel file, strip out the scores and post them at http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/e190scores.pdf. Check back next Monday.

Mr.D.

Welcome Winter English 190 Students

2010-01-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

Classes start Monday, January 4 for the Monday-Thursday 10:30AM class. Classes meet for 6 weeks. We will have no school on Monday, January 18, Martin Luther King Day. If you wish to add my class, please show up on the first day. Enrolled students who don't show up the first day of class will be dropped and replaced by added students. If there are too many students and not enough seats, additional students will be selected by lottery.

Buy your Textbook Online

2009-08-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

When you purchase your textbook, make sure it is the 5th or 6th edition of the Introduction to Critical Reading by Leah McCraney:

textbooks.com

Buy.com

Amazon.com

ichapters.com

Welcome Fall Reading Students

2009-08-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Reading Students,
Classes start Tuesday, September 1 for the Tuesday-Thursday classes and on Monday, August 31 for the M-W-Friday classes. We will have no school on Monday, September 7, Labor Day. If you wish to add any of the classes, please show up on the first day. Enrolled students who don't show up the first day of class will be dropped and replaced by added students.

Now that the business is taken care of: Welcome to class. Hopefully in this class you'll pick up tips to improve your college reading, including vocabulary building, better comprehension of what you read, the ability to read critically, and to help you better think for yourself.

I will do my best to teach you well, pass you, and prepare you for you future classes, however, you must put out effort as well. Sign of your interest in the passing the class would include showing up on time, getting your books ASAP, and respecting the educational environment. You will also be required to do at least an hour of lab work online each week from our class web page at http://english.glendale.edu. With English 190 comes the assignment of a book review due at the end of the semester.

The main textbook is "Introduction to Critical Reading". It is a collection of readings, poems, stories and articles. Everyone needs a copy. I use the same book for English 188 and English 190, so you may already have this book. New and used copies of the book are in the bookstore, but if you can find it cheaper on the internet at amazon.com, or any other bookseller, you can get it there. Just make sure you get the latest edition. The other book is the class syllabus. This book is available from the bookstore for about $8, but you may also download and print a free copy off the internet by going to our class web page at http://english.glendale.edu. Everybody needs a copy of this. We will work on the lessons in class, and the book must be filled in as we work and be finished by the final exam. Part of your participation grade is determined by completion of the syllabus book.

This first week we will go over classroom basic information and procedures. We will also do a preliminary standardized reading test for which you'll need a pencil and a scantron answer sheet. You must also finish the first week of lab work at http://english.glendale.edu.

Buy your textbooks and do the week 1 lab work. See you soon.

Mr.Doyle will be off campus on Friday, July 24th

2009-07-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

As stated in the online syllabus, Mr.Doyle will be off campus on Friday, July 24th. Final Exams for English 190 are/were on Thursday the 23rd. If you missed the deadlines for the final and to turn in your green syllabus book and book report, you have one more chance to make up the material. Mr.Doyle will be on campus in his office (in LB203) on Monday, July 27 in the morning between 9 and 10. This will be the last chance to turn in assignments and to take the test. Everything must be finished before 11AM. Book reports and syllabi may be slipped under the door before this date, but will not count after 11AM on Monday.

If you want to know your grade, e-mail Mr.Doyle next week at: ddoyle@glendale.edu .

Have a great rest-of-the-summer.

Final Exam Schedule Summer 2009

2009-07-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

All finals will be during regular class time on Thursday, July 23. Mr.Doyle has a meeting out of town on Friday, so Thursday will be our last day. On that day you will need a scantron, a pencil, your syllabus book and your book report. The book report is due on Thursday, or may be delivered to Mr.Doyle's office by noon on Friday, or sent in an e-mail by midnight Friday. I will grade your syllabus book while you take the test. The grades must be turned-in on Monday, so any lab work or book reports sent to me after Saturday won't count. If you want to find out your scores and grade, send an e-mail to Mr.Doyle next week at ddoyle@glendale.edu.

You are Invited to an Evening of Irish Music

2009-07-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

You are Invited to an Evening of Irish Music
featuring
Dennis Doyle, Celtic Harp and Song
Paula Doyle, Vocalist
Terry Doyle, Guitar and Vocals,
and a special secret surprise guest
at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center
Evening Concert Under the Stars Series
Next Wednesday, July 8, 2009, 7:30PM
4316 Lanai Rd
Encino, Ca 91436
PH: 818.784.4515
Fax: 818.784.0409
E-mail:
HSRCenter@earthlink.net

http://english.glendale.edu/doyle2008spirit.html

Bring Your Outside Reading Book to Class

2009-07-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

Bring your outside reading book to class on Thursday, July 2, so that Mr.Doyle can look the book over and so that we can do a readability level for the text.

Questions my Students are asking

2009-06-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

Professor Doyle,

Good Morning. I seem to be having some issues with the quiz for the lab work. It requires "Javascript" and I have javascript but I try over and over again to solve the solution but I simply Cant; I was wondering what do you recommend to do about this even for future reference?

,Manuel A.

Hi Manuel,

Let me know exactly which link is giving you the problem, for example, when you get to our web page at http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/e190summer.html, is your problem doing week#1, item #12. When you do those vocabulary quizes, tap on the button "next question" to start the test.

Mr.D.

--------------------------

Remember students: we have this Friday off when the college celebrates Independence Day.

This week, I need you to select you outside book report reading book. Bring the book to show Mr.Doyle. Everyone needs their book by Thursday.

-------------------------

Hello Professor Doyle,
This is Anna B., I am the new student added onto your English 190 class for 10:30am today. I hope you remember me. Anyways I just wanted to ask if the lessons on your webpage had to be completed each day or by the end of the week. I did the first lesson today since I missed class yesterday and I got a 4 out of 10. I'm just not sure how your grading works and I wanted to know if I could recieve a little more information just to make sure I will do okay in your class. Thank you for taking the time into reading this I'm looking forward from hearing you soon!

-Anna

Hi Anna,
The lab work is due each week by the Saturday night at midnight. Go to http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/e190summer.html and then do all the items marked lesson or quiz.
On the lessons, if you get 6 or more done out of 10, you move on to the next set of lessons. If you get 4 out of 10, you should do the lesson over again, but not more that one more time whether you pass it our not.

Mr.D

Summer Classes Start June 22, 2009

2009-06-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Summer Classes Start June 22, 2009. Welcome Summer English 190 students. If you have attempted to register and found that the class is closed, please see me on the first day of class in AD242 and I will add students to my class up to the number of chairs I have available. If you are enrolled, be sure to show up the first day, or I will give someone else your seat.

This semester is very short (only 5 weeks, M-F) and class will go by very quickly, so you must GET YOUR BOOKS as soon as possible. If you have my old English 188 text, Introduction to Critical Reading, by McCraney, we will be using the same text, but with different passages. You'll need to buy or download a new English 190 Syllabus, which you must fill in as we work the class and turn in at the end. See more about how to get your books on the class web page english.glendale.edu. This semester, you will be required to read an outside recreational reading book and do a book report according to my particular standards. We will discuss this in the second week.

Reading Classes Final Exam Schedule

2009-05-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

2784
English 190
TTh 10:15-11:47
AD 242
Final Exam:Thursday, June 4, 10:30AM

2955
English 190
MWF 8:15-9:16
AD 242
Final Exam:Monday, June 8, 7:30AM

2969
English 190
TTh 8:30-10:02
AD 242
Final Exam:Tuesday, June 9, 7:30AM

2964
English 190
MWF 10:45-11:46
AD 242
Final Exam:Monday, June 8, 10:30AM

2767
English 188
MWF 9:30AM-10:31
AD 242
Final Exam: Wednesday, June 3, 7:30AM

2788
English 192
TTh 1:15PM- 2:47PM
AD242
Final Exam:Tuesday, June 9th 1:30

How to do the book report?

2009-05-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

Mr. Doyle I am in your 190 class. I am not sure how the book report is suppose to be is there a standard way we need to follow?

Yes, to do the book report, simple answer in complete sentences all the questions on pages 11 and 12 in your syllabus. Here it is for your reference:

Use this format for the book report. You may use the program "Microsoft Word" to write your report.

The book report should be about 4 to 6 pages long and be written in a simple, concise, clear style. It may be shorter if your ideas are complete and longer if you are not too wordy. Don't simply copy pages out of the book or quotes from the cover as some students have in the past. I prefer the work to be typed, double-spaced with writing on only one side of the paper, but your neat handwriting or printing in black or blue ink is acceptable.

You should thoroughly answer these questions:
1. What is the name of the book? Who is the author? Who is the publisher? How many pages are in the book? These questions should be answered in one or two complete sentences. You don't need to rewrite the question; simply number the answer.

2. What kind of book is it? Fiction? Non-fiction? Biography? Argumentation? This is a couple of sentences long. Say what makes it "fiction" or "non-fiction".

3. How many days did it take you to read this book? This is about one sentence.

4. Who are the top three or four characters? Tell me about them. Why are they important? List them and say a little about each one. This could be about a half a page to over a page long.

5. Tell me what the book is about. Summarize the plot. Use your own words and ideas to describe the story. If the book is a collection of short stories, pick the three best and explain their plots. If the book is not fiction, explain the main idea and the supporting details or arguments. If it is organized historically, give a list of the important events in the text. This could run from one and a half page to several pages. Don't make it too long or too short; you don't need to explain every little detail in the plot).

6. Now give me some analysis of the book. Tell me why you liked or did not like it. Was it too hard or easy to understand? Was the vocabulary too hard? Would you recommend it to a friend? Did you see a movie or video of the book? How is it different form the real book? How would you judge the author? Was the story something you could relate to or was it not connected to your real life? This could be one to several pages. Don't forget this part. Most students do well on the summary of the book (question#5) but only write a few sentences for this question. Do a good analysis.

What's on the Final test?

2009-05-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

hello mr. doyle
my name is albert i am in your eng. 190 class MWF 10:45-11:45
i have a question about the final.
is it going be on the vocab and root words only?
or is their other things i need to study as well?
if you can please let me know i would really appreciate it
please and thank you.

Hi XXX,

The final test in Eng 190 will include:

- vocabulary from our literature pieces in the expensive book,
-vocabulary from the Greek and Latin roots,
-finding main ideas in paragraphs
-reading and understanding outlines,
-telling the difference between fact and opinion,
-telling the difference between types of propaganda,
-telling the difference between general and specific ideas.

Mr.D.

Mr.Doyle Will be Absent Today and Friday

2009-05-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Mr.Doyle will be absent Thursday, May 14 and Friday, May 15 due to a head cold and a doctor's appointment. See you next week. Everyone should catch up on their labwork. Students in English 190 and 192 should be working on their book reports due on the last day of class. (Standards for the book report for English 190 is on pages 11-12 in the syllabus).

Los Angeles Time Festival of Books This Weekend at UCLA

2009-04-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Reading Students:
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is this weekend at UCLA from 10AM to 5PM. Everything is free except for parking ($9). Hundreds of famous authors and actors will be there, including Ray Bradbury, Michael J. Fox, Cloris Leachman, Henry Winkler, Mike Farrell, Steve Lopez, and many more. Between workshops and exhibits, there is constant music entertainment and readings.

Bring back evidence that you were at the festival and I'll give you 4 hours of lab work.

See you there!

http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

Mr.Doyle's Schedule 3/24/09-3/27/09

2009-03-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Mr.Doyle's Tuesday classes (3/24/09) are cancelled because he will be off campus at the TechEd Conference in Ontario.

Mr.Doyle will hold his regular classes on Wednesday and Thursday 3/25/09-3/26/09), so be sure to show up! Be sure to register your personal reading book and look up information on your author if you haven't done it yet. Do your lab work for week 6.

Mr.Doyle's classes on Friday (3/27/09) are cancelled because he needs to go to a funeral that morning.

Select Your Personal Reading Book this Week

2009-03-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is just a reminder to select your personal Reading book this week. For the T-Th class, you should bring your book on Thursday. For the MWF classes, bring your book on Friday. Your book should be about 150 to 300 pages which you have not read before. The book may be fiction, non-fiction or whatever. Find something that you are interested in and that you are likely to finish in time. You should carry the book with you in class and be prepared to do some assignments based on the book.

Get Your Books!

2009-02-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

At this point, which is near the end of our second week of school, everyone should have their textbooks. The required syllabus/wookbook is available free as an online pdf from your class web page. The remaining books should be in your hands by now, or you should be awaiting an order from amazon.com or another internet vendor. There is some limited help with the cost of textbooks from a school program. See your counselor about this program.

Your Log-In Records will be available Monday Morning

2009-02-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

If you wish to see if Mr.Doyle is getting your lab work, check the link on the web page that says:

Your lab work check-in record

each Monday morning. Finish your lab work by Saturday night; on Sunday, Mr.Doyle collates the scores, strips personal information from them, then on Monday mornings posts them on the web site. If you miss the Saturday deadline, you will need to wait a week to see if your scores are getting through.

Questions from my students...

2009-02-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hi Mr. Doyle, Im XXX Im taking your English 188 class.
Im so Sorry but today i had a family emergency and i was out all day, and to top it all off im having problem connecting to the internet....ill be lucky to complete this message and send it to you.
My problem is that because of all of this going on i was not able to complete the lessons online, iv been trying to but it keeps disconnecting. i will still keep trying to log on hopefully i could get it done even dough its going to be late.

Thank you,
XXX

No problem,

take care of your family and finish your lab work later. you can do both week's work next week.

Mr.D

Hi Mr Doyle,am XXX in your 192 class. i was doing the the home work and i had confusion how you advance to card numbers when you get certain score. for resistance 80 percent.

Hi XXX,

After you correct your work, there is a link that says "select your next card". Don't go there. Just use the return arrow to go back, back to our class web page, then do the next lesson listed on the page.

Mr.D.

Questions My Students are Asking...

2009-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

Hi professor Doyle how r u today? this is XXX... well i am sending you this yahoo message because I am having a small problem with the LAB work u assigned us. well the problem is the understanding or the assignment, do I have to do the LAB week one? you now the assignments with the pages from the book , although i don't have the book at this moment i am not eligible to finish the assignment i was wondering what i should do?

Hey XXX:
Go to english.glendale.edu and navigate to our class web page. Log-on to the page by typing your last name first, then first name, then your GCC student ID. We are in week#1 now, so you need to do the work for week#1 before Saturday night. Do only the links marked as lessons or quizes. The lessons ask you to draw a conclusion based on the limited information in the question. There is nothing else to read, either in the book or online. You must guest the answers based on the question.

Hey Mr. Doyle, Im XXX from your English 190 class from 8:15 to 9:16. I was wondering how im really supppose to do this assignment because when i put my name, last name and I.D. number, it doesnt work, it just keeps on saying page error....So i was wondering if you can tell me how to access it right...okay Mr. Doyle.....Thank you.

Hey XXX,

I just checked it from home and it's working for me.....are you sure you're not hitting RESET instead of SUBMIT? Use SUBMIT. Also, it might not work if you have a poor connection to the internet. Try it again...

Mr.D.

Hello Mr. Doyle,
I just wanted to double cheek that you received my work for week one. Could you email me back as soon as you receive it .

Thanks

XXX
190 ( T-TH 10:45-11:47) at GCC

Hi,

I checked my data and yes, your info is getting through.

Mr.D.
p.s. Don't worry, I publish your check-in record every Monday

Hi professor Dennis Doyle this is XXX from your english 190 class, i needed some clarifying for the lab work thats due on Saturday morning. Just to confirm that im doing the right thing because im not 100% positive on what to do. For week #1 we're supposed to do lessons 94A, 94B, and 94c right? If so, are we supposed to read the selection from the media to get the answers for the questions asked on 94a, 94b, and 94c? Or are we supposed to get the information from the book, if we do i must've missed that part. thanks for the help.

Hi Mr. Doyle
Im XXX, your student of Glendale College class ENG 190.
I was trying to do the Lab. Work 1st week, but about lessons 94 A,B and C I am not pretty sure how to do it, please can you explain me a little bit that point.
Thank you
Sincerely
XXX

-------

Hello Prof. Doyle,
My name is XXX and I am in your 10:15am class. I was unable to do the lab work. Reason being i didnt not understand the questions. Did we need to reand something from the book? or online? I am very responsiable about my work. this i can say will only be the time I am late with my work. Can you please explain to me how we where suppossed to answet the questions.

Thank You

Hi XXX,

No, with the 94A,94B, etc. lessons, you need to simply guess the answer based on the small amount of information given in the question. The questions are not based on any other outside readings from the media or from the book. They are trying to build in you the ability to draw a conclusion based on limited information. Give it a try. These lessons are kinda hard at first and most people only get about half of them right at first crack.

Mr.D.

Welcome New Spring Reading Students

2009-02-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

By this time, I have met all my classes and things are looking good. Your task now is to get into "student" mode by getting your books as soon as possible. We will start using them next week. For the rest of this week, I will be giving you a diagnostic reading test. You will need a scantron and a #2 pencil. I will have scantrons from the Learning Center available for sale, but it's cheaper to buy your own. I also strongly recommend that you try to find a used copy of our text, Introduction to Critical Reading by McCrainey.

Be sure to finish your lab work for week #1 by Saturday night. Do all the links marked "lessons".

For my classes meeting MWF, I will be missing class on Friday, February 27; I have a conference that I need to attend. For my T-TH classes I may also be missing on Tuesday March 2. More information later.

Winter English 190 Classes

2009-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome Winter English 190 students. If you have attempted to register and found that the class is closed, please see me on the first day of class in AD242 and I will add students to my class up to the number of chairs I have available. If you are enrolled, be sure to show up the first day, or I will give someone else your seat.

This semester is very short (only 6 weeks, M-Th) and class will go by very quickly, so you must GET YOUR BOOKS as soon as possible. If you have my old English 188 text, Introduction to Critical Reading, by McCraney, we will be using the same text, but with different passages. You'll need to buy or download a new English 190 Syllabus, which you must fill in as we work the class and turn in at the end. See more about how to get your books on the class web page english.glendale.edu. This semester, you will be required to read an outside recreational reading book and do a book report according to my particular standards. We will discuss this in the second week.

Mr.Doyle's Schedule for Finals Fall 2008

2008-12-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

2767 English 188 MWF 9:30AM-10:31 AD 242 Final Exam: Wednesday December 10, 7:30AM
2946 English 188 TTh 10:15AM-11:46PM AD 242 Final Exam: Thursday December 11, 10:30AM
2964 English 190 MWF 1:15-2:16 AD 242 Final Exam: Friday, December 12th 1:30 PM
2784 English 190 MWF 8:15-9:16 AD 242 Final Exam: Monday, December 15th 7:30 AM
2956 English 190 TTh 8:30-10:02 AD 242 Final Exam: Tuesday, December 16th 7:30 AM

Mr.Doyle will be off campus on October 8

2008-10-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

I will be off-campus on Wednesday, October 8. I have a meeting at CSUN most of the day regarding the GCC Study Abroad Program, so my classes at Glendale will be cancelled. I suggest you go to a lab and finish your lab work for week 6.

Students are Encouraged to Read Enrique's Journey

2008-09-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

Students are Encouraged to Read Enrique's Journey this month. Several activities are planned, including a visit by the author.

The Server was down from about 10:30PM Saturday

2008-09-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know, the internet server for the was down from about 10:30PM Saturday, September 27 until about 7:30 AM on Monday, September 29. It is working okay now. Please catch up with your lab work this week.

Settling In

2008-09-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Reading Students,
We're nearly done with the first full week of class. We have done the orientations, taken the initial standardized tests and started doing the literature and lab work assignments. By this time, everyone should have BOTH books, the Intro to Critical Reading text and the class syllabus/workbook. If you don't have the books, get them ASAP. Also, if you missed the standardized test, remind Mr.Doyle at the beginning of class.

Hi Reading Students,

2008-08-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Classes start Tuesday, September 2 for the Tuesday-Thursday classes and on Wednesday, September 3 for the M-W-Friday classes. Mr.Doyle has a meeting off campus on Friday, September 5, so those classes won't meet on that day. If you wish to add any of the classes, please show up on the first day. Enrolled students who don't show up the first day of class will be dropped and replaced by added students.

Now that the business is taken care of: Welcome to class. Hopefully in this class you'll pick up tips to improve your college reading, including vocabulary building, better comprehension of what you read, the ability to read critically, and to help you better think for yourself.

Please show up on time, commit to the class, get your books ASAP. You are expected to respect the educational environment. You will be required to do at least an hour of lab work online each week from our class web page at http://english.glendale.edu.

The main textbook is "Introduction to Critical Reading". It is a collection of readings, poems, stories and articles. Everyone needs a copy. I use the same book for English 188 and English 190, so you may already have this book. New and used copies of the book are in the bookstore, but if you can find it cheaper on the internet at amazon.com, or any other bookseller, you can get it there. Just make sure you get the latest edition. The other book is the class syllabus. This book is available from the bookstore for about $8, but you may also download and print a free copy off the internet by going to our class web page at http://english.glendale.edu. Everybody needs a copy of this. We will work on the lessons in class, and the book must be filled in as we work and be finished by the final exam. Part of your participation grade is determined by completion of the syllabus book.

This first week we will go over classroom basic information and procedures. We will also do a preliminary standardized reading test for which you'll need a pencil and a scantron answer sheet. You must also finish the first week of lab work at http://english.glendale.edu.

I have a meeting off-campus on Friday, September 5, so classes meeting on that day are cancelled. Buy your textbooks and do the week 1 lab work. See you soon.

Mr.Doyle's Concert This Week

2008-07-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

An Evening of Celtic Music
with
Dennis, Paula and Terry Doyle
at the
Holy Spirit Retreat Center
4316 Lanai Road
Encino, CA 91436

Wednesday, July 16 – 7:30PM
Come early, picnic under the stars

Tickets at the door $15
Info:818-784-4515

Summer 2008 Reading Students

2008-06-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome Summer English 190 students. If you have attempted to register and found that the class is closed, please see me on the first day of class in AD242 and I will add students to my class up to the number of chairs I have available. If you are enrolled, be sure to show up the first day, or I will give someone else your seat.

This semester is very short (only 5 weeks, M-F) and class will go by very quickly, so you must GET YOUR BOOKS as soon as possible. If you have my old English 188 text, Introduction to Critical Reading, by McCraney, we will be using the same text, but with different passages. You'll need to buy or download a new English 190 Syllabus , which you must fill in as we work the class and turn in at the end. See more about how to get your books on the class web page english.glendale.edu . This semester, you will be required to read an outside recreational reading book and do a book report according to my particular standards. We will discuss this in the second week.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

2008-04-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is this weekend at UCLA April 26-27. This is a wonderful event and I encourage all my students to go at least one day if possible. (And I'll give extra credit to any student bearing proof of attendance.) The Festival is free. There are several stages which have readings by authors, and music and poetry. Check out the link here .

Mr.Doyle in the Glendale News Press

2008-04-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Mr.Doyle recently presented a speech for the city-sponsored "Week of Remembrance" held at the Glendale Public Library on April 21. He spoke about the Irish Potato Famine in context with other important examples of man's inhumanity to man.

link to the article

Tests Coming Up in a Few Weeks!

2008-03-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

We are now in Week #6 and midterm tests are coming up in both English 188 and English 190. The best way to prepare is to make sure that you are caught up with all of your lab work. Work hard on these things:

For English 188
-review all lesson about phonics and dividing up words into syllables
-review all vocabulary from the poems and stories in weeks 1-5

For English 190
-review all vocabulary from the poems and stories in weeks 1-5
-review all the materials in the syllabus on Greek and Latin Roots.

We're in Week #3

2008-03-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hi GCC Reading Students.

Well, we're in Week #3. At this point, everybody should have BOTH textbooks. If you don't, get them immediately. By this time, also, the English 190 students should be thinking about getting their outside book report reading book. Information on how to select this book is on page 10 in the syllabus. You must bring the book to class next Thursday for the TTh class and next Wednesday for the MWF class. Be sure to keep up with your online lab work at http://english.glendale.edu . Don't get too far behind.

For my students in my MWF classes, I will be off-campus at a conference on Friday, March 14, so there will be no class. However the usual online lab work is due by Saturday evening.

Welcome GCC Reading Students

2008-02-20T10:18:00.001-08:00

Welcome back to the Spring semester at GCC. Your first job this initial half-week is to get your textbooks. The syllabus book is a free download off the class web page, or you may simply buy a bound copy for about $7 in the bookstore. This book must be turned-in filled out for a grade at the end of class in June. The other text is the Introduction to Critical Reading text by Leah McCraney. We will use either the 6th or 5th edition. Everyone needs a copy of each book.

I'll use this blog to remind you of things coming up, also to make announcements tha you may have missed in class. First announcement for the MWF classes: I need to go to a conference on Friday, February 29th, so class will be cancelled for that day. I will also be attending a conference in Tucson on March 14.

Midterm on Tuesday

2008-01-28T21:27:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to my English 190 classes: midterm tests are Tuesday. Review the vocabulary from the text for weeks 1-3. Also review everything we covered about Greek and Latin root words.

Winter English 190 Classes

2007-12-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

What I'm Reading Lately

2007-11-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

On October 24, former White House aide under President Richard Nixon, John Dean, spoke at the Glendale Public Library as part of their monthly speakers series. He gave a wonderful talk, full of his insights from his years in government. I purchased one of his recent books Conservatives without Conscience and had him sign it.

This book is highly critical of the current crop of conservatives in government, including President Bush and those around him. He believes that conservatism has lapsed into an amoral, power-hungry, intolerant authoritorianism, which bears little resemblance to the conservatism of Dean's mentor and friend, Barry Goldwater. He cites example after example of cases in which those who claim to be conservative, appear to have given up the pro-freedom, small-government, tolerant, nearly libertarian views that characterized older conservatives. It was a great read; he predicted the loss of the Congress and Senate by the Republicans in the last election.

The other book that I recently finished was John Grisham's The Summons. Grisham, you may recall ,write novels mostly about the legal profession in the South. They made movies of his other books, The Pelican Brief, The Client and The Firm, staring Tom Cruz. This book isn't quite as exciting as those other stories, but it involves an inheritance of millions of dollars, hot persuits by bad guys, and a twist at the end. It was an easy read and fun.

Another thing that I'm reading regulary is a blog in the Irish Language called Hilary NY. This blogger is a Gaelic speaker in New York City and writes weekly of things that happen to her in the city. She evidently is a teacher and is involved heavily in the Irish community in the City. Her level of writing is just about right for me, an intermediate learner of the Irish language. It is challenging, yet well written and not impossible for me to read. As I've mentioned in class, studying another language is a great way to actually build your intellgence. Learning a language is like growing another lobe in your brain; it gives you insight only another culture can give you.

Schedule for November 28-29

2007-11-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that I need to serve on a hiring committee for a new English professor on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. All my classes are cancelled on these days.

How the New Digital World is Changing Us

2007-10-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

As you recover from the recent midterms, check out this video about the impact of the new digital world:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Mid-term schedule for Reading Classes

2007-10-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

All English 190 classes meeting MWF- the midterm will be on Monday, October 22.
The English 190 class meeting T-Th will have the midterm on Tuesday, October 23.
The English 188 class meeting MWF will have the midterm today, October 17.
The English 188 class meeting T-Th will have the midterm on October 18.

What I'm Reading Lately

2007-10-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

On my long trip to Pennsylvania last week, I was able to bring along some light reading on the plane. Recently I finish the third book in a series linked to the Showtime cable network drama called "Dexter" about a serial killer who works with the police and only kills bad people. It's a far-fetched concept but both the TV series and the books have been wonderful. Last year I read Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the first of the series and closely related to the television show. The second book, Dearly Devoted Dexter , has a story line completely different from the TV series, but was still quite rewarding. Over the weekend I read, Dexter in the Dark, in which Dexter's dark inner-self which compells him to kill people abandons him while he himself becomes the target of another, more powerful dark force. The books and television incisively explore the inner and outer versions of self that we present to ourselves and other. Well worth the read.

What I'm Reading Lately

2007-09-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

My goal over my summer break was to read the entire set of Harry Potter books. Well, I've finished book 7 and I also read a commentary on the books and have been listening to some podcasts by Harry Potter geeks. Taken as a whole the entire set is a wonderful story, one that ranks, at least in theme and ideas, with many other works of western literature. It is deep in many ways, touching on many myths, a very spiritual series with positive ethics. I highly recommend the Harry Potter series; best to start at the first book as there are characters in the book that aren't in the movies.

Currently, I'm nearly done with a book on genetics and British and Irish history called "Saxons, Vikings and Celts". The author, Bryan Sykes has done research using the DNA of the inhabitants of Britain, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in order to see if various legends and historic accounts of the movements of various peoples into and around the isles can be proven by looking at their DNA. It's a fascinating account. Some of his preliminary studies may change what we think about when Celts came to Ireland. It was believed that Celts from around Austria may have emmigrated into Ireland about 300 to 500 years BC. But Syke's research implies that the Celts may have arrived much earlier, around the time of the invention of agriculture about 5000 years BC and from around Spain. On the whole, a great read.

Is there bias in the mainstream media?

2007-09-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Some say that mainstream media has a bias favoring liberal, Democratic or progressive politics. They cite statistics from polling which shows that the majority of newspaper and electronic media reporters are themselves somewhat liberal. But reporters alone do not determine what is actually published or broadcast over the media. Those reporter's bosses, editors, and managers are actually more likely to be more conservative and support Republican politicians. And owners of the media and the higher management of these vast corporations that own the media outlets are much more likely to be conservative. Rupert Murdock, the owner of Fox News and hundreds of television outlets, newspapers, and radio stations, is relentlessly conservative, donates heavily to conservative politicians all over the world and promotes conservative ideas through many of his holdings. As we experience more media consolidation, media tends to grow more conservative, not wanting to risk annoying corporate advertisers or damage even slightly other corporate holdings.

If there is a media bias, it is more in the decisions as to what is deemed worth reporting. As we saw in todays' Los Angeles Times print edition and online version, among other things, something gets reported if it involves:
-conflict (U.S. tip led to German terror plot arrests)
-violence
-happens to celebrities (Paris Hilton, US Senator Craig)
-is about sex (Sex, violence cram TV's 'family hour,' study says)

Famous Former Student

2007-08-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I opened the local newspaper and on the front page above the fold was a story about a woman who had been stabbed to death outside of a south Glendale alcoholics anonymous meeting last Wednesday. The accused killer was a 23 year old homeless male by the name of Hector Marroquin.

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_6736511?source=rss

Not mentioned in the article was that Hector was a Glendale College student; in fact, I had Hector twice in my developmental reading classes, English 188 and 190, a few years back. I knew that he had problems; he was somewhat odd, showed some strange symptoms, laughing inappropriately; I had to take him out of class for him to refocus, and I tolerated his need to leave early; he freaked if he wasn’t allowed to sit in his particular seat; had frequent absences; seemed like he was off his meds sometimes; other times he was quiet and serious. I tried to get him to go to the health center for evaluation. He put in the lab work hours and finished assignments. We got along; he responded to positive attention, but seemed to crave respect. He passed both of my classes. He seemed to have a big problem with women; he didn’t get along with women instructors.

Now he’s finally killed someone, a woman he probably didn’t even know. In retrospect, it seems obvious that the guy was borderline schizophrenic when he was at GCC. This might have happened on campus.

I think we need to have some kind of campus dialogue about this. We instructors are frequently the first to notice odd behavior in students. We need to know what to do, who and how to refer the person. We need to think seriously about how to interrupt behavior which could become lethal.

Over the years, I’ve had the clearly paranoid, depressed and openly delusional. One student revealed to me that he was actually Jesus Christ; I told him that if he was Jesus Christ, he would know that I drop students who don’t show up for two weeks. I hope he really wasn’t Jesus.

What I'm Reading Lately

2007-08-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Up to this point, I haven't been very interested in the Harry Potter series by J.Rowling. But with the completion of the last book, year 7, I thought I'd read the entire set over the summer vacation. I wanted to see how the author and her characters have progressed from book to book. I've just finished books 1 through 5 and am working on book 6. By far, I felt that 5 was the best so far; deep, integrated, complex and satisfying, with a embedded critique of facist government in response to outside threats. As Harry has matured, so has the books, with book 1 quite the child-like romp through the magical wizarding world. Book 6 is promising to be even better; I like the message that permeates the books that adults don't have all the answers and have their own mix of good and bad motivations as well as times when they are simply stumped.

Hi Reading Students,

2007-08-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

Classes start Tuesday, September 4 for the Tuesday-Thursday classes and on Wednesday, September 5 for the M-W-Friday classes. Mr.Doyle has a meeting off campus on Friday, September 7, so those classes won't meet on that day. If you wish to add any of the classes, please show up on the first day. Enrolled students who don't show up the first day of class will be dropped and replaced by added students.

Now that the business is taken care of: Welcome to class. Hopefully in this class you'll pick up tips to improve your college reading, including vocabulary building, better comprehension of what you read, the ability to read critically, and to help you better think for yourself.

Please show up on time, commit to the class, get your books ASAP. You are expected to respect the educational environment. You will be required to do at least an hour of lab work online each week from our class web page at http://english.glendale.edu.

The main textbook is "Introduction to Critical Reading". It is a collection of readings, poems, stories and articles. Everyone needs a copy. I use the same book for English 188 and English 190, so you may already have this book. New and used copies of the book are in the bookstore, but if you can find it cheaper on the internet at amazon.com, or any other bookseller, you can get it there. Just make sure you get the latest edition. The other book is the class syllabus. This book is available from the bookstore for about $10, but you may also download and print a free copy off the internet by going to our class web page ay http://english.glendale.edu. Everybody needs a copy of this. We will work on the lessons in class, and the book must be filled in as we work and be finished by the final exam. Part of your participation grade is determined by completion of the syllabus book.

This first week we will go over classroom basic information and procedures. We will also do a preliminary standardized reading test for which you'll need a pencil and a scantron answer sheet. You must also finish the first week of lab work at http://english.glendale.edu.

I have a meeting off-campus on Friday, September 7, so classes meeting on that day are cancelled this week. Buy your textbooks and do the week 1 lab work. See you next week.