Steps for Written Responses, #2

Steps for Written Responses

Steps for written responses:

1)      Briefly summarize the essay.

2)      Find key quotes/passages.

3)      Think about your own ideas and experiences in regard to education and write them down.

4)      Take the above info and write one or two paragraphs blending your own ideas and experiences with the author’s. Be sure your written response contains the following:

a.       Title of essay in quotes and name of author.

b.      A key personal experience.

c.       A connection between the two. For example:  Have you had a similar or contrasting experience?

d.      One direct quote from the essay (Be sure to provide quotation marks and explain it to the reader).

Think of writing Task Three in stages. You may use the model above to write your essay as I am doing with my essay. I have begun to outline my personal experiences first.

The essays I have chosen to use for my Task Three paper include:  “Sister Flowers” by Maya Angelou and “Becoming Educated” by Barbara Jordan.

The focus for my paper includes:  Who are persons who took me aside as Sister Flowers did for Maya Angelou and what does becoming educated mean to me as it meant for Barbara Jordan?

“Sister Flowers” by Maya Angelou

“Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first life line.” (92)

“She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be.” (93)

“I hear that you’re doing very good school work, Marguerite, but it’s all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class.” (94)

“Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That’s good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.” (95)

“Becoming Educated” by Barbara Jordan

“So I was at Boston University in this new and strange and different world, and it occurred to me that if I was going to succeed at this strange new adventure, I would have to read longer and more thoroughly  than my colleagues at law school had to read. I felt that in order to compensate for what I had missed in earlier years, I would have to work harder, study longer, than anybody else.” (212)

“Finally I felt I was really learning things, really going to school. I felt that I was getting educated, whatever that was. I became familiar with the process of thinking. I learned to think things out and reach conclusions and defend what I had said.” (213)

“I had learned at twenty-one that you couldn’t just say a thing is so because it might not be so, and somebody brighter, smarter, and more thoughtful would come out and tell you it wasn’t so. Then, if you still thought it was, you had to prove it. well, that was a new thing for me.” (213)

“I cannot, I really cannot describe what that did to my insides and to my head. I thought:  I’m becoming educated finally.” (213)

Analysis Response to Baker, Fridman or Sherry's essay(s)

Please post your analysis using the comment feature to one of the essays you read for Friday, Oct. 29.

Essays You Could Use for Task Three

Maya Angelou, "Graduation Day"
Maya Angelou, "Sister Flowers"
Richard Rodriguez, "On Becoming a Chicano"
Russel Baker, "School vs. Education"
Lynda Barry, "The Sanctuary of School"
Caroline Bird, "Where College Fails Us"
Leon Botstein, "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood"
Leonoid Fridman, "America Needs Its Nerds"
Barbara Jordan, "Becoming Educated"
Mary Sherry, "In Praise of the F Word"
Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities:  Children in America's Schools
Anna Quindlen, "Write and Wrong"
Ron Cassie, "Catching Up, With a Little Help"

Steps for Written Responses

Steps for written responses:

1)      Briefly summarize the essay.

2)      Find key quotes/passages.

3)      Think about your own ideas and experiences in regard to education and write them down.

4)      Take the above info and write one or two paragraphs blending your own ideas and experiences with the author’s. Be sure your written response contains the following:

a.       Title of essay in quotes and name of author.

b.      A key personal experience.

c.       A connection between the two. For example:  Have you had a similar or contrasting experience?

d.      One direct quote from the essay (Be sure to provide quotation marks and explain it to the reader).

Think of writing Task Three in stages. You may use the model above to write your essay as I am doing with my essay. I have begun to outline my personal experiences first.

The essays I have chosen to use for my Task Three paper include:  “Sister Flowers” by Maya Angelou and “Becoming Educated” by Barbara Jordan.

The focus for my paper includes:  Who are persons who took me aside as Sister Flowers did for Maya Angelou and what does becoming educated mean to me as it meant for Barbara Jordan?

1)      After graduating from Braymer High School at 18, I made the decision to attend Missouri Western State University in 2003. Because of my ACT scores, I was placed into English 100:  Introduction to College Writing, a development reading and writing course. Originally I had wanted to become a high school English teacher. I enjoyed reading and writing and as a teacher, I wanted to share my passion for the written language with others. However, because I was placed in a developmental reading and writing course, I thought that I was not smart enough to teach others. I thought that I had to be among the elite, the smartest.  One letter changed my thoughts. Dawn Terrick, the director of developmental writing and English 100 professor, wrote a letter recognizing my written skills and encouraging me to pursue a career in writing. Needless to say, Dawn and I work together now. I am now teaching English 100.

2)      Six years later, I was in Kay Siebler’s English 664 class, a course in Composition Theory. I was the only graduate student in the class among undergraduates, two of which were men. While I was vocal in the class, it was not to the level Kay wanted. I was called into her office at midterm and during our conference, Kay told me that because I was only a graduate student that I should be the most vocal in the classroom. Traditionally, men are more vocal in the classroom. As a womyn, I needed to establish my authority and as Kay suggested, the undergraduates could learn from my experiences because I was teaching at the time. In the past, I was introverted, but now I was in a new context, so I took her advice seriously. If I wanted to excel, I had to begin to read each essay critically, evaluating how I might apply it to my classroom. So as I began to read, I began to mark up the pages with my analysis and my comments of which I would bring up in English 664.

3)      I have had two persons in my educational career who took the time to work with me. It would have been easy to look at me as just another student. However, Dawn recognized the skills in my writing. She later explained to me that because I was placed in English 100, this did not mean that I was stupid or could not read and write. A test does not determine your fate, just as it did not determine whether I could read and write. I could. Because I was placed in English 100, Dawn saw in me an excitement for writing that I will continue on in my career as I share it with others. Although it was a different time and setting because I was a graduate student, Kay like Dawn took the time to work with me. She took me aside because, as a fellow sister, she realized that I had things to tell that was worth sharing. The classroom can be a frightening and intimidating place; however, Kay taught me that everyone has something to say. We each can learn from what the other has said. The value of voice and being able to speak is so important that it is freeing in a way.

Student Summaries: "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood" by Leon Botstein

From Damond, Josh Z.,& Tyler

Leon Botstein is explaining in his essay something that crosses a teenager's mind while going through the process of getting an education. Botstein also mentions how once a certain age group reaches a certain age and hits puberty, it's that much harder to comprehend and focus on what is important. Leon does not agree with the idea of a middle school; he thinks the schools should be combined and middle school should start at kindergarten and stop at the seventh grade level.

The story by Leon Botstein, "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood," tells us different problems throughout the school system. Leon describes how some administrators and faculty actually care about students' education. Kid in the school system today mature faster and are put into outside experiences sooner. Students face peer pressure, cliques and other obstacles. Leon states how children nowadays should also begin elementary school at age four or five and end at sixth grade. Leon believes that by doing this would prepare kids for the work field sooner instead of being disappointed by teachers and wrong choices made throughout school.

From Savanna, Greg & Kyle

Botstein talks about how kids should graduate at age 16 and also get rid of middle school. He says there are cliques, people hold sway because of popularity, good looks, and sports prowess. He also states the rules of high school aren't the rules of life.

In "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood" by Leon Botstein, he talks about how kdis should graduate from high school at age 16. He says there should be no middle school anymore. He says elementary schools should start at kindergarten and end in seventh grade. Also Botstein says there are many cliques and people hold sway because of popularity, good looks, and sports prowess. Also Botstein tells us the rules of high school aren't the rules of life.

From Amy, Chris & Josh D.

Leon Botstein, "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood," reflects on how the American high school is outdated and should be restructured. Due to the younger generation maturing faster than students in the past, the institution designed to transition or direct them to adulthood, prevents them from captitalizing on their opportunities.

Young people mature substantially earlier in the 20th century than when high school was invented. By the time those who graduate from high school, and go on to college and realize what really is at stake in becoming an adult, too many opportunities have been lost on and too much time has been wasted.

From Atlana, Haley, & Aza

Leon Botstein who wrote "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood," in this essay he talks about the cliques in high school, peer pressure, ending high school at 16 and the removal of middle school. Throughout this essay, he talks about the dominance of team sports in the high school environment, and the problems that grow in high school and community.

From Cliff, Josh & Jeshurun

In "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood" by Leon Botstein, he argues that the American high school is outdated and need restruction. Botstein says schools spend too much time supporting artificial behavior in students and supporters because of sports and cliques. Instead of concentrating on good teacher and student individuality.

From Jerann, Clay & Tyler

In "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood" by Botstein, he states how secondary schools are outdated. He talks about how high school sports over take the school. Botstein believes that middle school should be taken out and children should just go straight to high school. Botstein thinks that teenagers should graduate at 16. Because the adults just put the high schoolers in school all day because they don't want to deal with adolescents.

From Kyle, Kayde & Scotty

In his article, "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood," Leon Botstein discusses the overall need for improvement in American education. With the age of maturity in question, he suggests that after grade school, children should be sent to high school in order to graduate at 16. After graduating high school, they would go onto work manual labor or take technical training before moving onto get a higher education. In his opinion or argument, he states, "By the time those who graduate from high school go onto college and realize what's really at stake and becoming an adult to many opportunities have been lost and to much time has been wasted" (p. 205). Most college freshmen are confused and unaware of what they want for themselves, so if they graduate earlier they will be even further behind and without success.

From Korey & Krista

In Leon Botstein's essay "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood," he thinks high school should be abolished. Sports in high schools are more important than anything else. The outsiders of the school become more successful than the admired students. He believes at the age of 16, they are ready for adulthood. He believes you should go straight to high school after elementary school and do away with junior high. He thinks by the time who graduate from high school and go onto college and realize what really is at stake in becoming an adult, to many opportunities have been lost and to much time waster. At 16, young Americans are prepared to be taken seriously and to develop the motivations and interests that will serve them well in adult life.

From Arion, April & Colton

Leon Botstein's essay "Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood," he explains how schools focus more on sports and other areas rather than the children. Botstein says kids should not be in school until they are 18, they should cut out middle school and graduate at 16 and begin adulthood. They should enter the world of work, national service, and take responsibility. "At the age of 16, young Americans are prepared to be taken seriously" (207).

From Cristina, De'Angelo & Kirk

The main point of this paper is that the American high school is obsolete and should be abolished. Team sports are more dominant than student culture, and no matter how popular in high school, it doesn't determine how popular or successful you will be after school. The only reason high school is so long is that adults don't want to deal with teenagers. The educational system should abandon middle school and rearrange classes because by the time they graduate, to many opportunities have passed them by. By the age of 16, they are prepared to be taken seriously and move into their adult life.

Analysis to Jonathan Kozol's "Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools"

Post your analysis to Kozol's text (pages. ix - 7) using the comment feature.

Links to View

Providing Context for "Where College Fails Us" by Caroline Bird

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade70.html

Technology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmz5qYbKsvM

An Example Summary of Whitfield's Essay

Hilary Whitfield, who wrote "Children Left Behind," compares her personal experienees with education to what Jonathan Kozol examines in his book Savage Inequalities:  Children in America's Schools. Whitfield attended a Catholic school and then tranfered to Abraham Lincoln High School, an inner city school. The violence in schools, Whitfield suggsts, takes away from the overall educational experience. At Abraham High School where she attended, Hilary discusses the presence and implications of the four area gangs. In response, her high school outlawed  solid colored outfits in red, green, black and white. In Kozol's book, he observed two area teacher who watched soap operas during school hours. In an educational institution where learning should be a recursive (ongoing) process, Whitfield tells us about her principal, Mr. Granzino, who had an open door policy for all students. If teachers who did not care about their job was enough, school conditions also affected a student's potential to learn. Kozol observes an area school that did not have heat during the winter and in another school, the ceiling was collapsing. Unlike the schools that Kozol describes, Whitfield's school made renovations to the band room, the cafeteria, and to some of her classrooms. However, it was difficult at times because for three days, the students went without heat.

How to Properly Cite a Quotation Using MLA Style

"Where College Fails Us" by Caroline Bird

How to cite using MLA:

"Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves--they are spoiled, stoned, overindulged, and expecting too much" (Bird 195).

FAQ:  One thing that you want to do before you include a quote from a source is to identify the source by title and author. 

"Where College Fails Us" written by Caroline Bird, .....

Establish a lead in to a quote.

Bird writes "The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation" (195).

Notice that I did not include the last name of the author in the parenthesis. This is because the author's last name is stated at the beginning of the sentence.

FAQ:  A quote should never appear at the beginning of a paragraph or at the end of a paragraph.

Think of a supporting paragraph as TEE or as outlined below:

Topic sentence
Example
Evidence

Topic sentence:  Sociology has become a favorite major on socially conscious campuses, but graduates find that social reform is hardly a paying occupation.
Example:  Male sociologists  from the University of Wisconsin  reported as gainfully employed a year after graduation included a legal assistant, sports editor, truck unloader, Peace Corps worker, publications director, and a stockboy--but no sociologist per se.
Evidence:  The highest paid worked for the post office.

Writing a Summary

While Reading an Article

• Read the article carefully, making no notes or marks and looking only for what the writer is saying.
• After you're finished reading, write down in one sentence the point that is made about the subject. Then look for the writer's thesis and underline it.
• Does this thesis correspond with the sentence you wrote down? If not, adjust your sentence or reconsider the thesis you selected.
• Look at the article again and ask yourself if your view is slanted toward one of the essay's minor points. If it is, adjust your sentence so that it is slanted toward the writer's major point.

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Underline with Summarizing in Mind

• Once you clearly understand the writer's major point (or purpose) for writing, read the article again. This time underline the major points supporting the thesis; these should be words or phrases here and there rather than complete sentences.
• In addition, underline key transitional elements which show how parts are connected. Omit specific details, examples, description, and unnecessary explanations. Note: you may need to go through the article twice in order to pick up everything you need.

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Write, Revise, and Edit to Ensure the Accuracy and Correctness of Your Summary

Writing Your Summary

• Now begin writing your summary. Start with a sentence naming the writer and article title and stating the essay's main idea. Then write your summary, omitting nothing important and striving for overall coherence through appropriate transitions.
• Be concise, using coordination and subordination to compress ideas.
• Conclude with a final statement reflecting the significance of the article -- not from your own point of view but from the writer's.
• Throughout the summary, do not insert your own opinions or thoughts; instead summarize what the writer has to say about the subject.

Revising Your Summary

• After you've completed a draft, read your summary and check for accuracy.
• Does your summary make the same point as the article?
• Have you omitted anything important?
• Does your summary read smoothly with all parts clearly related?
• Keep in mind that a summary should generally be no more than one-fourth the length of the original. If your summary is too long, cut out words rather than ideas. Then look for non-essential information and delete it.
• Write another draft -- still a draft for revision -- and ask someone to read it critically.
• Can that person understand the sense of the article by reading your summary?
• Ask for criticism; then weigh these criticisms and make valid changes.

Editing Your Summary

• Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, looking particularly for those common in your writing.
• Write a clean draft and proofread for copying errors.

Summary Response to Bird's Essay

Post a summary response to Bird's Essay as a comment to the class blog.

Summary Response to Whitfield's essay.

Post your summary response to Whitfield's essay as a comment on the class blog.

Schedule of Task Three

English 100:  Introduction to College Writing

Task Three

Homework for Oct. 18:

Read “Children Left Behind” by Hilary Whitfield (296) and Chapter 24 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.

To your blog, draft a self-evaluation about Task Two. These questions are listed below and can be found on the class blog.

• 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?

Week Eight

Oct. 18 -- What is summary? How do I summarize an essay?

Introduce Task Three.

Discuss “Children Left Behind” by Hilary Whitfield (296) in connection to Task Three.

Homework for Oct. 20: 

Respond to the class blog, a summary of Whitfield (at least 3-5 sentences).

Read “Where College Fails Us” by Caroline Bird (195). Respond to your blog, a response to the first question outlined in Questions for Reading and Writing.

Oct. 20  -- What is summary? How do I summarize an essay?

Writer’s Workshop:  Workshopping summary and/or quotes.

Homework for Oct. 22: 

Respond to the class blog, a summary to Bird’s essay listed below (at least 3-5 sentences).

Read “Let Teen-agers Try Adulthood” by Leon Botstein (205). To your blog, respond to one of the questions outlined in For You To Analyze (207).

Oct. 22  -- What is summary? How do I summarize an essay?

Writer’s Workshop:  Workshopping summary and/or quotes.           

Homework for Oct. 25:

Read Kozol’s “Savage Inequalities:  Children in America’s Schools” (ix-7).

Respond to your blog, a response to one of the questions that is asked of you in regard to Task Three.

• Why did you decide to come to college?
• What does a college degree mean to you and to American society?
• What is your definition of learning and education?
• Is your definition of learning and education the same as other people’s definitions?
• What is the role of student and teacher?
• Do you ever reflect upon your experiences to high school and college?
• Do you think your experiences in high school and college are similar or different from other people’s experiences?
• Do you think our education system is effective or do you think changes need to be made?
• What do you think about testing, grading and funding in your schools?
• Would you like to explore the problems in our educational system and provide your own opinions and solutions? 

Week Nine

Oct. 25 -- What is analysis? How do I analyze an essay?

Homework for Oct. 27:

To your blog, draft an analysis to one aspect that Kozol examines.

Read “Save Inequalities:  Children in America’s Schools” by Jonathan Kozol (40-53).

Oct. 27 -- What is analysis? How do I analyze an essay?

Homework for Oct. 29:

Read “School vs. Sanctuary” by Russell Baker (188), “America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman (209) and “In Praise of the F Word” by Mary Sherry (215).

To your blog, draft a reflection of Task Three including what your focus is and which essay you are contemplating on using. An example: 

Unlike Barbara Jordan, I have not encountered quite the same circumstances as she, a young African American womyn in 1959. While I have endured sexism in the workforce, not in the academy, I certainly appreciate her hard work and determination. When I was 18, education was not as important to me as it is now. While I was an A/B student, I worried more about what was happening in my social circle than my professors’ critique. Now, I am a M.A. student working toward my master’s in Written Communication. My future may include a PhD program. And like Jordan, I will have to work hard as I do now, perhaps harder. Jordan writes, “I became familiar with the process of thinking. I learned to think things out and reach conclusions and defend what I had said” (213). Because Jordan, an African American womyn, was a minority at Boston University in 1959, she had to work five times harder than the majority—the white man. While I may not encounter such discrimination, I do have to work five times harder to succeed, because if I fail, than I will not be given a second chance.

Oct. 29  -- What is analysis? How do I analyze an essay?

Homework for Nov. 1:

Respond to the class blog, an analysis of one of the three essays you read for Friday.

Read “Save Inequalities:  Children in America’s Schools” by Jonathan Kozol (57-67).

Week Ten

Nov. 1 - Writer’s Workshop:  Creating a Works Cited page.

Homework for Nov. 3: 

Read Chapters 29 and 30 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.”

To the class blog, upload a citation to the essay you are including in Task Three. 

Nov. 3 – Workshop:  Bring in all of your materials which may include notes, your texts and any prompts that you have worked with to class. We will spend this time working on our drafts for Task Three.

                       

Homework for Nov. 5:

Prepare rough drafts of Task Three for peer critique.

Nov. 5 - Rough drafts of Task Three due/Peer Review

Review Chapters 9, 10 and 13 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.”

           

Homework for Nov. 8:

Review Chapters 18, 19 and 25 in “A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers.”

Week Eleven

Nov. 8 – Peer Review

Homework for Nov. 10:

Prepare final drafts of task three for evaluation

Nov. 10 - Task Three due

Homework for Nov. 12

Read “Understanding the Importance of Reading” by Natalie Fitzgerald (286).

To your blog, draft a self-evaluation about Task Three.

• 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 Two

English 100

Peer Review for Task Two

1)      How does the writer introduce the subject of the paper? What is the thesis for the paper? Write the thesis in the space below?

2)      Write in the space below who the subject is and what the focus is for this paper?

3)      What is the significance of the person the writer has chosen as a subject?

4)      Write in the space below supporting details that pertain to either the thesis or the subject.

5)      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?

6)      Is it clear to you, as a reader, that the writer has edited and checked his/her paper? What are two errors that really “jumps out” at you?

7)      What does the writer do most successfully in this paper?

Writing Task Three, continued

What to do when writing Task Three:

• Balance your opinion with a logical argument.
• Summarize the text.
• State your opinion about the reading.
• Feel free to agree or disagree with the reading.
• Carefully choose what excerpts from the texts you will quote in your paper.
• React honestly.

What not to do when writing Task Three:

• Make the paper entirely a personal story.
• Try and respond to every point the author makes.
• Let your opinion dominate the paper. It is an academic paper with a well-reasoned process.
• Be afraid to disagree with your readings.
• Write an emotional response.
• Ignore the pre-writing process.

Advice When Writing Task Three

Please read the following information listed below before you actually begin with this writing assignment.

Advice:

• Bear in mind that you simply cannot respond to every point the author makes, so choose a few that seem key to you to discuss. Your choices should be guided by your own interests and reactions. Therefore, you should be developing points in depth and complexity, rather than trying to cover everything.

• Pay very close attention to formatting. Since this essay is intended for an academic audience, you need to properly integrate quotations and paraphrasing into your paper as well as understand how to follow MLA in-text documentation and complete a works cited page. if you are not sure about something, or if this is new to you, don't hesitate to ask me  for additional assistance. 

• Do not be afraid to voice objections to the text and disagree. Your responses should be based on your honest reactions.

• You should not be afraid to use two texts.

• You are not using this text to prove something else, so stay grounded.

Writing Task Three

English 100 – Task Three:  Blending Reading and Writing

Issue:  Education

Overview of Purposes:  Take part in today’s conversation about the American education system. What you will do:

• Develop and demonstrate the ability to blend reading and writing activities. 
• Produce well-supported and thoughtful discussions (both oral and written) of serious issues.
• Incorporate the words of others into your own writing. 
• Learn MLA documentation skills.
• Strengthen your reading, writing and editing skills.

Reading Assignment:  The readings in this section will be vital to your success with this task and this section will emphasize critical reading more than any task to date. You will read Savage Inequalities:  

Children in America’s Schools written by Jonathan Kozol and various essays in your textbook. You will write journal entries (summary and response analysis) and discuss these readings in class. It will be very important or interesting to you to mark and record passages, ideas or experiences that seem particularly important or interesting to you, so that you can refer back to them during class discussion and throughout the writing process. It will be vital that you have a clear understanding of each reading and the perspective that each of these readings offers because you must use (at least) one of these essays as the foundation for your writing assignment.

Writing Assignment:  Why did you decide to come to college? What does a college degree mean to you and to American society? What is your definition of learning and education? Is your definition of learning and education the same as other people’s definitions? What is the role of student and teacher? Do you ever reflect upon your experiences to high school and college? Do you think your experiences in high school and college are similar or different from other people’s experiences? Do you think our education system is effective or do you think changes need to be made? What do you think about testing, grading and funding in your schools? Would you like to explore the problems in our educational system and provide your own opinions and solutions?

These are some of the questions that frame today’s lively and critical conversation about American society and its education system and they may be some of the questions you wish to address in Task Three. For this assignment, you will reflect upon your experiences in school and/or opinions about education and establish a link between your own experiences and opinions and one or more of the essays and/or books that you have read in class and in workshop. You will adhere to the following guidelines:

Getting started:

• Reflect upon your own experiences and opinions regarding education and knowledge. Then, review and reflect upon the essays. Do you agree or disagree with one (or more) of the authors? Have you and one (or more) of the authors shared a similar experience? OR do you strongly disagree with one of the authors? Has your experience conflicted with one (or more) of the author’s experience?

Introduction:

• Create a thoughtful and specific thesis that establishes a link between the essay(s) and your own life and own views on education and learning. Provide title(s) and author(s) in thesis. Your thesis will be a claim or argument that you will set out to prove in your essay.

Body paragraphs:

• Body paragraphs will be unified, cohesive and developed. Support your opinion/thesis throughout body paragraphs with relevant, persuasive and effective material and information (e.g. personal experience, anecdotes, examples, materials from the readings). Incorporate someone else’s experiences and point of view in your own writing and explain how it supports and strengthens your point of view. You will use summary, paraphrase and direct quotes. Find a balance between your opinion, experiences and voice and that of the author(s) of the essay(s). Assume that your reader has not read the essays that you have, so be sure to include enough about the essays you choose in order for your reader(s) are able to grasp the meaning of those essays.

Conclusion:

• Create an interesting and strong conclusion that gives a sense of closure.

Documentation:

• Document your use of borrowed material according to MLA guidelines (e.g. parenthetical documentation within text and a works cited page at the end).

Editing and proofreading:

• Editing and proofreading skills will be crucial to this writing assignment. Sentence structure and grammar will be correct; sentences will be more varied and complex; surface errors will be minimal.

Requirements:  this writing task will focus heavily on organization, structure and development of thought. This writing assignment must be word-processed, spell-checked, well-edited, at least three full pages in length and must adhere to MLA guidelines. You must also extensively use at least one of the essays from the textbook as a source.

* If you do not meet all of the above requirements, you will not pass this writing assignment.

* This task is the most difficult of this course because it asks you to critically think, read and write about a very complex and important issue in our American society. Moreover, you will be producing more written work for this section. Make sure that you give yourself enough time for the reading, writing and revising assignments in this section.