I’VE been teaching college freshmen to write the five-paragraph essay and its bully of a cousin, the research paper, for years. But these forms invite font-size manipulation, plagiarism and clichés. We need to set our sights not lower, but shorter.
I don’t expect all my graduates to go on to Twitter-based careers, but learning how to write concisely, to express one key detail succinctly and eloquently, is an incredibly useful skill, and more in tune with most students’ daily chatter, as well as the world’s conversation. The photo caption has never been more vital.
So a few years ago, I started slipping my classes short writing assignments alongside the required papers. Once, I asked them, “Come up with two lines of copy to sell something you’re wearing now on eBay.” The mix of commerce and fashion stirred interest, and despite having 30 students in each class, I could give everyone serious individual attention. For another project, I asked them to describe the essence of the chalkboard in one or two sentences. One student wrote, “A chalkboard is a lot like memory: often jumbled, unorganized and sloppy. Even after it’s erased, there are traces of everything that’s been written on it.”
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Peer Review 1
Next time, bring draft or draft on flashdrive. Going to go over MLA conventions and show you a revision process that you can begin using in the lab.
Pass out the grading criteria and review – 7:45
Today, you are going to get feedback on your draft from 2 other people. Ideally, you will form groups of 3. If that doesn’t work out, form one group of 4, and partner with one person, then switch.
Here’s how it will go: group of 3: choose whose paper will be read first. Groupmates read the paper.
Author re-reads the paper.
As groupmates read, look for and take notes on these things:
DISCUSS the essay. Author, ask questions. Participate. Try not to be apologetic or defensive.
Time: going to take about 10 minutes to read, about 10 to discuss. So it should take an hour for groups of 3 to complete their feedback. Keep an eye on the time.
Pass out the grading criteria and review – 7:45
Today, you are going to get feedback on your draft from 2 other people. Ideally, you will form groups of 3. If that doesn’t work out, form one group of 4, and partner with one person, then switch.
Here’s how it will go: group of 3: choose whose paper will be read first. Groupmates read the paper.
Author re-reads the paper.
As groupmates read, look for and take notes on these things:
DISCUSS the essay. Author, ask questions. Participate. Try not to be apologetic or defensive.
Time: going to take about 10 minutes to read, about 10 to discuss. So it should take an hour for groups of 3 to complete their feedback. Keep an eye on the time.
Course Updates
donna cross art of bamboozling - MAY BE BETTER FOR 104
Research unit - need to add at least a day to it. As it is now (WAC Syll) - may need to cut peer review so we have time to cover MLA. I think to compromise, will do a small peer review and spend 20 minutes of that class covering the MLA.
WHAT THE DOG SAW - interesting chapter on plagiarism (maybe as midterm). Most chapters start w a question. Good real-world research.
Have Norton Samples of Student Papers
Curious Researcher
Mercury Reader?
To make better:
more concise rhetoric
better, more current readings and topics (I can pull from my stash or compile things this year. They don't have to be too snazzy with TV components, as I think this gets overwhelming for them. Maybe that could be a 104 thing - visual argument).
NY Times Debates http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/03/27/how-to-raise-the-status-of-teachers/redesign-the-workforce-system-for-teachers
Mercury Reader (build own book)
Genre of the status update
Beginning essay is The Perfect Storm: what do you expect at college culturally?
Need some exercises w ethos, logos, pathos, where they actually mindfully employ these strategies. Maybe an informal or an extended homework, or part of the research or synthesis prompt.
once a week or so, spend 25-30 minutes working on style
Food: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-being-a-foodie-isnt-elitist/2011/04/27/AFeWsnFF_print.html
Research unit - need to add at least a day to it. As it is now (WAC Syll) - may need to cut peer review so we have time to cover MLA. I think to compromise, will do a small peer review and spend 20 minutes of that class covering the MLA.
WHAT THE DOG SAW - interesting chapter on plagiarism (maybe as midterm). Most chapters start w a question. Good real-world research.
Have Norton Samples of Student Papers
Curious Researcher
Mercury Reader?
To make better:
more concise rhetoric
better, more current readings and topics (I can pull from my stash or compile things this year. They don't have to be too snazzy with TV components, as I think this gets overwhelming for them. Maybe that could be a 104 thing - visual argument).
NY Times Debates http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/03/27/how-to-raise-the-status-of-teachers/redesign-the-workforce-system-for-teachers
Mercury Reader (build own book)
Genre of the status update
Beginning essay is The Perfect Storm: what do you expect at college culturally?
Need some exercises w ethos, logos, pathos, where they actually mindfully employ these strategies. Maybe an informal or an extended homework, or part of the research or synthesis prompt.
once a week or so, spend 25-30 minutes working on style
Food: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-being-a-foodie-isnt-elitist/2011/04/27/AFeWsnFF_print.html
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thesis
For the order of this first paper, I really need to reorganize things. I think having them do thesis, before we get to intro's or the essay itself, is weird. IT just feels backwards. But on the other hand, having them know the point of having a certain direction to go in, can be useful.
Next time, I think I will have them write the in-class, then the day they get them back, we will work on development that day. Then, they can see how once the essay is written, we can pull from their main ideas and create a thesis from that. I will have them do that in class on Tuesday, anyway, and we can do that.
Tuesday:
Discuss the sample paper. Look at intro, thesis, a couple para's of development. Then, show them how they can construct the thesis backwards by looking at the topic sentences of the paragraphs.
Review thesis statements.
Review intro's and conclusions; have them write and respond to a sample.
Next time, I think I will have them write the in-class, then the day they get them back, we will work on development that day. Then, they can see how once the essay is written, we can pull from their main ideas and create a thesis from that. I will have them do that in class on Tuesday, anyway, and we can do that.
Tuesday:
Discuss the sample paper. Look at intro, thesis, a couple para's of development. Then, show them how they can construct the thesis backwards by looking at the topic sentences of the paragraphs.
Review thesis statements.
Review intro's and conclusions; have them write and respond to a sample.
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