Self-Evaluation
What is the thesis for your paper?
List the main points you make in your paper.
What was the most helpful advice you received from your peer evaluation?
What was the most helpful information you received in class for your paper?
How many drafts of this paper do you think you wrote and how/when did you write them? For example, did you compose at the keyboard, did you write lots of notes to yourself, did you pre-write or outline, did you write in small chunks of time or sit down and produce an entire draft at one sitting?
What would you do differently with this paper to make it more effectively, or what did you try to do that you just don’t think you got a good handle on?
What are most pleased with about this paper?
Peer Review for Task One
How does the writer introduce the subject of the paper? What is the thesis for the paper? Write the thesis in the space below.
What is the significance of the person the writer has chosen as a subject (place or event)?
How does the writer help you form an idea of the subject of the paper by using physical and character descriptions? Which ones are the most effective for you? What else would you like to know about the subject of the paper?
Where in this paper would you like more information to explain the significance of the subject to the writer? What seems to be “missing” for you?
Is it clear to you, as a reader, that the writer has edited and checked his/her paper? What is one error that really “jumps out” at you?
What does the writer do most successfully in this paper?
Amy Chastain
English 100
Task One
Sept. 20, 2010
Describing Significance Carefully
For this assignment you will be asked to recall a meaningful person, place or event and to describe the significance of that person, place or event in a way that will make your audience understand how much this person, place or event meant/means to you.
Questions to consider:
Goals:
You will be writing this paper as a narrative, meaning you will tell a story. Your audience will be your peers and myself. More specifically, assume your audience does not know much about you, so that is why you need to be thorough. Examples will play a crucial role in this paper, so your audience can identify with you. Also keep in mind you are now writing college-level papers, so you need to be more aware of your voice, word choice, paragraph unity, development and coherence.
Details, focus and structure are key to all types of writing, and for this first paper we will be looking at them closely, so you can begin building your foundation to successful college-level writing.
English 100 Writing Task One – Describing Significant Carefully
The neighborhood you grew up in, the school you attended, the homeless man you pass on your way home every night, your best friend, the high school teacher who told you that you would never succeed, the annual summer vacation you take with your family, your family members, your successes and failures, your joyful and tragic moments…
Whether we consciously acknowledge it or not, each of one of us is influenced and shaped by all of our past experiences. We define ourselves and our place in the world by how we affect and are affected by others. We can be made stronger by both success and failure, by those who love and reject us. We remember both the small and large events of our lives, deciding which lessons, experiences and people to embrace and emulate and which ones to renounce.
What people and experiences have shaped and influenced you? What memories are most vivid? What stories do you continue to tell?
* * *
Introduction: The activities (readings, class discussions, in-class writings, journal entries, workshop lessons, peer revision groups) you are doing during this unit will help you recall meaningful details about a significant person, place or event in your life and will help you to write about these details. Your writing will describe this significant person, place or event in such a way that the meaningfulness of your subject becomes clear. In class and in Writer’s Workshop, you will explore prewriting and drafting strategies and will develop strategies for both organizing and including specific details in your writing. The essay you write for this unit will have a clear, controlling idea and should create a dominant mood, feeling or expression.
Reading Assignment: You will read a variety of essays from your textbook in which the authors have also written about the significance of a person, place or event. Use these essays to both help you generate ideas for topic development as well as to guide you in structuring and organizing your essay.
Writing Assignment: For this first section, we have read a variety of essays from your textbook in which the authors have written about a significant person, place or event. As a result, I would like you to think about a significant person, place or event in your life. For this essay, you will write meaningfully about a significant person, place or event in your life. You will describe this person, place or event and will also reflect on and explain the significance and importance of this person, place or event to your life. I will assume that your choice is truly significant, but the nature of the significance must also be demonstrated if your essay is to succeed. You must go beyond description and explain to your audience how this person, place or event has impacted your life, your decisions, your actions and/or beliefs. Your assigned audience is simply any interested reader who does not already know you or the person, place or event you will describe. Since your actual audience, your classmates and I, will be getting to know you better, you might think of this essay as a good way to let them know more about you. Hence, you need to choose a topic that you feel comfortable sharing with others and one that you can fully develop with specific details.
Structure and Organization: Your essay should have a definite beginning, middle and end. In your introduction, you should have a clear, controlling idea—that is, the point you want your audience to understand. In your body paragraphs, you should develop and communicate this main idea. You will incorporate specific examples and precise, thorough and well-chosen details in a planned order in order to make your writing more interesting and meaningful. The meaningfulness and importance of your subject must be clear and you must answer your reader’s questions about your subject. As you develop your essay in this manner, you should also aim to create a dominant mood, feeling or impression. In your conclusion, you should emphasize the significance of your subject.
Evaluation Guidelines:
Content
Structure:
Style:
Finally, the essay must be at least two full pages in length, word-processed and spell-checked. Page length will be measured as if you had used a double-spaced Times New Roman 12 point font, without excessive boldface or extra spacing, with 1” margins top and bottom and margins on the sides. These are very common default settings for most word-processing programs. You may use other fonts, spacing and margins, but doing so may vary what is regarded as a full page. I will not accept/pass any paper that does not meet the page length requirement.
** If you do not meet all of the above requirements, you will not pass this writing task.
** Due dates for the rough draft and final draft appear on your assignment schedule.
English 100: Introduction to College Writing
Task One
Week One
Aug. 30 - Introduction to course and BlogSpot. Review course syllabus and the impending schedule.
Work due Sept. 1:
Create an account with BlogSpot and email me the link to your blog. Draft a letter of introduction in which you introduce yourself and discuss your experiences as a reader and writer, post this to your blog.
Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.”
Sept. 1 – Introduce Task One.
Work due Sept. 3:
Read “Learning to Let the Past Go” by Brianna Howell (257).
Read “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott.
Sept. 3 - Compile a list of ideas to write about. Think about the implications of your subject and what you would like to write.
Work due Sept. 6:
Think about what you would like to write for Task One. Respond to your blog with your ideas for Task One. What are you thinking about writing? Why? What sort of problems do you think may arise for Task One? What do you anticipate? Why? What questions do you have for Task One?
Read “Rite of Passage” by Anthony Brandt (124). To your blog, draft a response to one of the questions outlined in Questions for Reflection and Writing (129 and 130).
Week Two
Sept. 6 - Labor Day
Homework for Sept. 8:
Read “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston (145). To your blog, draft a response to the first question outlined in Questions for Reflection and Writing (148).
Read Chapter 2, 5 and 7 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.
Sept. 8 - Writer’s Workshop: Constructing a thesis for task one.
Homework for Sept. 10:
Read “On Becoming a Chicano” by Richard Rodriguez (page 169). Respond to your blog, a response to the first question outlined in Questions for Reflection and Writing (175).
Sept. 10 - Writer’s Workshop (building on your ideas): Why is your subject important? Workshop our ideas including the main point(s) of our task papers.
Homework for Sept. 13:
Prepare your rough draft of task one for peer critique
Read Chapter 9, 10 and 13 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.”
Week Three
Sept. 13 - Rough drafts of Task One due
Homework for Sept. 15:
Optional Reading: Read “Freedom on the Farm” by Laura Sapp (270).
Sept. 15 – Writers Workshop
Homework for Sept. 17:
Optional Reading: Read “School of Thought” by Frank Nemeth (267).
Required Reading: Read Chapters 18, 19 and 25 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.”
Sept. 17 – Writers Workshop
Homework for Sept. 20:
Prepare final drafts of Task One for evaluation.
To your blog, draft a brief review about Task One.
· What would you like for the instructor to know?
· What would you like for the audience to know?
· What would you like feedback on specifically?
· Tell the readers about the strengths and weaknesses of task one.
· Where did you excel and why?
· Where did you struggle?
Week Four
Sept. 20 - Task One due
Missouri Western State University, Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages and Journalism
English 100: Introduction to College Writing
MWF – 10405, 1 p.m./10407, 2 p.m.
Writers Workshop
Fall 2010
Instructor: Amy Chastain
Office: Eder Hall 213
Email: achastain@missouriwestern.edu/amichelechastain@yahoo.com
Phone: (816) 668-1690 (Please call before 8 p.m.)
Office hours:
M 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
W 10 a.m. to 12 p.m./3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Required Texts
Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol
Introduction to College Writing (English 100)
A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers: Strategies and Process (6th edition) by Barbara Fine Clouse
Flash drive
Course Goals
Reading Goals:
At the completion of English 100, you will be able to
· Read actively for greater understanding;
· Use reading to improve your writing by drawing ideas and information from written material;
· Use texts to understand your own and others’ experiences;
· Read writing assignments effectively as a guide to create better papers;
· Recognize good writing by actively reading good prose.
Writing Goals:
At the completion of English 100, you will be able to
· Move easily from writing for self-expression to writing for readers;
· Write at greater length more easily, more quickly, and more usefully;
· Structure your writing to fit the assignment, purpose, and audience;
· Develop your ideas and concepts with specific details, examples, and explanations;
· Craft more effective and polished sentences and paragraphs;
· Use effective planning, invention, revision, and editing to complete successful writing tasks.
General Studies Goals:
At the completion of English 100, you will be able to
· Think critically and reason analytically;
· Write and speak clearly and effectively;
· Gain a greater awareness of the present through an understanding of other cultures and times;
· Understand and appreciate moral values and ethical choices;
· Understand and enjoy aesthetic experiences and share in related creative experiences.
Grading Policy
Your grade will be determined on the basis of your progress as a writer, the writings you submit, and your class participation over the course of the semester. You will complete four major writing tasks that will be graded by your instructor. A student who does not turn in complete responses to all four tasks will not pass the course even if the grades achieved in the other writing tasks are satisfactory. A student needs a C or higher to pass English 100 and enter English 104. The components of your grade in the course are:
Class Participation (10%)
Journal Entries (20%)
Final Exam (20%)
Portfolio (50%)
Task One: 10%
Task Two: 10%
Task Three: 15%
Task Four: 15%
For further assistance, please visit http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf (page 26).
Due Dates for Formal Writing Assignments:
Task One: September 20
Task Two: October 15
Task Three: November 12
Task Four: December 10 (with portfolio)
Blog
At the beginning of the fall academic year, you will create an account with www.blogger.com. You will submit any work you do for this course to their blog such as formal writing assignments, journal entries, the portfolio and writers notes. Think of it as an online working portfolio. Any feedback you receive will be posted to the blog unless you request to have such feedback privatized in which case, the professor will submit her comments by email only.
Aside from the individual blogs students will create, a classroom blog has been created where you may view the syllabus, the schedule(s) for each formal writing assignment and guidelines as such, journal entries, helpful tools, sites and videos. Furthermore if you have any questions in regard to formal writing assignments, the professor encourages you to ask them on the classroom blog because others may have a similar question. You can do so by using the commenting feature.
Mandatory Conference
Mandatory conferences will be held before midterm report. You will be required to attend this conference. Failure to attend may result in your failure of this course. However, if you foresee an emergency or will not be able to attend, I require that you notify me before the scheduled time. You will need to reschedule.
In the mandatory conference, we will discuss your progress as a writer, your strengths, areas where you as a writer need to work on and specific issues concerning task papers. You are in control of this conference; therefore, I expect you to arrive knowing full well what you wish to discuss and/or address. In order for me to help you as a writer, I need to hear from you.
Journal Entries
You will be asked to respond to questions outlined for discussion and for reflection and writing following a reading assignment. These questions are designed to help you comprehend the text on a deeper level so that you are able to consider how it relates to you and your life. In the critical responses you write, make connections across the texts to discussion and finally, to you.
On some occasions you will be asked to explore your process with a task paper or your interaction with your thesis, take this as an opportunity to reflect on the process itself and to receive constructive feedback either from the professor or a classmate.
Journal responses should range from 250 to 500 in word length. If you are concerned about word length, you may draft your response in Microsoft Word. If you need additional help on the count of the words, then please ask for the professor’s assistance. Treat the journal entries as an informal response; however, grammar and punctuation are still vital in the construction of this response.
Writers Notes
With each formal writing assignment, you will be asked to draft a brief review to your blog in regard to the assignment. You should address:
· What would you like for the instructor to know?
· What would you like for the audience to know?
· What would you like feedback on specifically?
· What are the task paper’s strengths? Weaknesses? Why?
· Where did you excel and why?
· Where did you struggle?
Since the professor will not assign a grade to a formal writing assignment, she will need specific feedback on what you need to know in order to revise for the portfolio.
Writers Circle
For each formal writing assignment, you will be provided with three days of peer review. On the day a rough draft is due, you will be expected to submit a complete rough draft. If necessary, this will be the only time you can bring in a laptop computer if you so wish. If a student does not bring in a complete rough draft, h/she will either be asked to leave or will sit out peer review for the day to work on their task paper. You will meet with a group of three to four writers (who of which will be rotated around with each formal writing assignment) where you will seek specific advice in regard to the task paper. Specific comments are required instead of generic and unsatisfactory comments.
Each student will be expected to turn in a rough draft of the first formal writing assignment (also known as Task One) to the professor for specific feedback on how she may help. However, students will not be required to turn in a rough draft of the remaining formal writing assignment. To submit the rough drafts, you will submit them to their blogs and email the professor an attachment, so that she may comment easily.
Writing is a process (Revision)
This course is primarily focused around revision to encourage and enhance writing skills within the students who the professor envisions as writers. You will have the opportunity to revise Task One, Two and Three as many times as you wish until the portfolio is due. For example, if Task One is due on Sept. 20, you must submit a complete final draft. However in place of an assigned grade, the professor will assign specific feedback on how you may revise the task paper for the portfolio. When a formal writing assignment is due, the professor asks that each student submit writers notes telling her exactly what kind of feedback each student would like, where they need help or how she may help them. If you are concerned about what the grade you may receive on a task paper, considering a grade will not be assigned until the end of the semester, the professor will tell you what prospective grade you may receive. If a student chooses not to revise from the original draft, h/she will still be required to submit a portfolio on the day that it is due; h/she will state that h/she has not chosen to revise.
Portfolio
At the end of the semester, you will submit a portfolio to their blog, which will include all of the formal writing assignments over the course of the fall academic year. In the portfolio, you will include revisions of Tasks One, Two, Three and Four. Task Four will be the only formal writing assignment that students cannot revise since it is due at the same time the portfolio is due. The portfolio is 50 percent of the overall grade. The points are assigned as such:
Task One – 100 points
Task Two – 100 points
Task Three – 150 points
Task Four – 150 points
Students will not have the option to revise the portfolio once it has been turned in. If a student fails to submit the portfolio by 4 p.m. of the due date, then it will result in their failure of the course.
Final Exam
During the week of finals, all students are required to attend the designated final exam time for this course. Failure to do so will result in failure of the course.
Midterm Grades
Since this course is built around revision, each student who completes all of the assignments (including task papers and journal entries) and who has not exceeded the absence policy will receive a grade of C. Any student who has failed to turn in all assignments will receive a grade of D. Any student who has failed to turn in a task paper (who has not been granted an extension) and/or has exceeded the attendance policy will receive a grade of F.
Missed/Late Assignments
In regard to formal writing assignments, a student may turn in one and one only late paper upon approval by the professor and this may only be approved before the due date of the assignment. A student who wishes to extend the due date of a task paper must provide a written request in the format of a letter or email and has spoken to the professor about the matter in person. Only after the professor has complied with this request will an extension be granted. Only one extension may be granted for each student. This request may not be used for either Task Four or the portfolio. Failure to request an extension will result in immediate failure of the course.
I will not accept late assignments unless as designated above. If you miss an in-class writing assignment, in-class work, or a pop quiz, it cannot be made up. If you are acting as an official representative of the university and have provided prior written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event, you are still responsible for turning in the assignment on time.
Writer’s Workshop
Throughout the course of the semester, you will attend the once-a-week, small group Writer’s Workshops (listed as “labs” in the class schedule). Some of the students Writer’s Workshop materials may be used in class, and some of their class papers will be critiqued and proofread in Writer’s Workshops. They must ensure that they have the right materials in the appropriate place. The professor may also consider their Writer’s Workshop participation as part of your grade.
If a student misses four Writer’s Workshops, h/she will fail English 100. Students can make-up an absence, but must attend the make-up session on Friday of the week they missed. Students can only attend the make-up session three times throughout the entire semester. If they wish to appeal their failure due to absences, they must be able to provide valid documentation for ALL absences and they must have an A or B in English 100 at the time (please see the Appeal Procedure in your textbook). In addition to not showing up for Writer’s Workshop, they can also be counted absent for the following reasons (these situations also apply to class as well):
· Arriving late (tardies will be added up for an absence);
· Not having required materials (textbook, a draft, portfolio, etc.);
· Not participating or paying attention to the SA and the lesson;
· Sleeping;
· Unacceptable behavior that impedes others’ learning such as, but not limited to, being disrupted, showing disrespect to your SA and/or peers, using foul language, using a cell phone or other electronic devices, working on other coursework.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records or any other fraudulent classroom activity. Cheating and plagiarism are not acceptable. If the professor finds evidence of cheating or plagiarism, a student has the burden of showing that the paper has, in fact, been written by the student. A student should keep thorough evidence of his/her writing processes for all papers so that h/she can meet this burden of proof. H/She will receive a grade of F (0 points) for any paper, assignment and/or exam showing evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism. If a student plagiarizes a paper, h/she forfeit the right to revise that paper; if h/she cheats on an exam, h/she will not be allowed to retake the exam. If you are found of plagiarizing a paper, assignment and/or exam a second time, h/she will receive a grade of F in English 100. Violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or the designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report Forms. Please see the Student Handbook for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf (page 26).
Attendance Policy
In order to improve student learning and to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Missouri Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level courses. This course has a very rigid attendance policy in class as well as Writer’s Workshops. If a student misses four Writer’s Workshops throughout the semester, a student will receive an FA in the class. There are no excused absences, exceptions or “makeups” for this attendance requirement. Furthermore, the maximum number of absences allowed before the midterm report for this class is five. Thus, when a student has six absences, h/she will be reported to the Registrar’s Office, who will automatically withdraw him/her from this class. The Financial Aid Office will reduce financial aid as appropriate. For further assistance, please visit http://www.missouriwestern.edu/catalog/academicpolicies.pdf (page 22).
Any student will be given an excused absence when acting as an official representative of the university, provided you give prior written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event. If a student misses a class session, h/she is responsible for all material covered and assignments given during his/her absence
Civility and Cooperation
Missouri Western requires all students to help us maintain good conditions for teaching and learning. We will treat our classmates, instructors, and student assistants with civility and respect, both inside and outside the classroom. Students who violate this policy may, among other penalties, be counted absent and asked to leave. I encourage you to review the Missouri Western student handbook for further information. This handbook is available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf (page 28).
Student Disability
Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expressions of abilities should contact Missouri Western’s Special Needs Coordinator Michael Ritter for possible certification of special needs and expert recommendations for assistance. Contact the professor personally as soon as possible so that the two of you can discuss class requirements.
Michael Ritter, Disability Services Coordinator
Phone: (816) 271-4330
Email: mritter@missouriwestern.edu
Center for Academic Support:
For additional help with your writing, please visit the Center for Academic Support. There is no cost for using CAS services.
Phone: (816) 271-4524
Hearnes Center, Room 213
Monday – Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday – Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
