Class - Wed., April 27, 2011

Last Class!

1. Roll

2. Questions on Draft 2.2?

3. Grade conferences and grade overview - grades due May 16; no grades can be discussed via email (per FERPA law)

4. Grammar questions

5. Discuss writing review

Assignment: Writing Review

Objective: To review the work you have completed in the course and to reflect on what you have learned from it. Description: To complete this assignment, first take the post-diagnostic exam at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/ttu. Then, look back on your writing from this semester, as well as any in-class writings and/or notes you’ve taken. Review your scores on the two Grammar Diagnostics you have taken this semester and all work you have completed at Exercise Central.

• What was your post-diagnostic score? How does it compare to the pre-diagnostic exam that you took? Discuss any areas where you feel you have grown as a writer? Where do you still need to practice most?
• What have you learned in this course about writing in general and writing arguments specifically?
• What have you learned about finding, evaluating, and incorporating sources? What kinds of challenges did working with sources pose for you?
• How has the writing you’ve done in 1302 transferred to the writing you have been asked to do in other courses this semester?

Remember that you should write your reflection in the first-person, but it should still be structured as a mini-essay, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. You also need to provide specific examples from your own writing. In addition, it should be written in a professional tone.

Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student thoroughly explore and reflect on what he or she has learned about academic writing?

C2—Context and Assumptions

Does the student consider his or her writing experiences prior to this course to contextualize the knowledge that has been attained?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Does the student support his or her reflection with evidence from the various assignments? In other words, does the student directly refer to specific parts of his or her assignments (paragraphs and/or sentences).  This criterion is particularly important because students tend to use vague and generic language that could apply to any student’s situation.

C5—Own Perspective

Does the student show authority in relaying his or her perspective about the learning experiences?

C6—Conclusion

Does the student provide an evaluative statement of his or her learning experiences that also encompasses how the attained knowledge might be beneficial in the future?

C7—Communication

Does the student communicate his or her reflection effectively?  Is the student's tone professional?  Has the student organized his or her reflection effectively?  Is the reflection relatively free of grammatical errors?

6. 1302-047 Evaluations

Purpose: Your final assignment asks that you reflect back on what you have accomplished this semester.

Then, write a 400 - 600 word reflection describing what you have learned about writing arguments and what you understand about doing so that wasn’t clear to you when you started this class. Be sure to discuss the following in your review:

Class - Wednesday, April 20, 2011

1.      Roll

2.      Questions on BA 8?

3.     Survey information (for participation point):

http://www.quia.com/sv/518677.html

(Screenshot must be emailed by tonight at midnight for credit)

4.      Grammar Review – based on Bedford St. Martin’s Top Twenty:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~msilva/How_Tos/Top_Twenty_Errors.PDF

5.      Draft 2.1 Editing/Review Session:

- Thesis and topic sentence check (using highlighter)

- Peer Review sheet

- Framing of counterargument

- Sources check

- Cut for organization; Read Backwards

6.      Review Draft 2.2:

Reading Textbook: Student introductions to essays in First-Year Writing (p. 409-411, 445-446, 486-487, 528-529, 566-567, and 609-611) Assignment: Draft 2.2 Objective: To expand and revise your argument. Purpose: A few weeks ago, you composed an initial draft of your argument. This assignment enables you to revisit your argument and apply suggestions from your instructors and peers, as well as what you have learned about the language of argument.

Description: To complete this assignment, you will expand and revise the first draft of your argument, draft 1.1. Also, if you need additional sources, you may use the TTU library and its databases to locate 1 – 4 others, as needed.  

Your revisions may include any or all of the following:  

• Strengthening, narrowing, or expanding your claim 

• Adding additional data to support your claim 

• Strengthening your explanation of the theoretical framework of your argument. 

• Using more precise language to help persuade your reader of your argument’s validity 

The length of your argument should be 1500-2000 words, not including the Works Cited list. Please use MLA format for in-text citations and your list of works cited.

Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Has the student focused his or her argument on a narrow topic?  Is the essay argumentative rather than informative?

C2—Context and Assumptions

Has the student considered the contexts of the articles which he or she quotes?  Has the student discussed any assumptions which he or she makes about the topic as well as the assumptions which the articles make?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Has the student presented sources effectively to support his or her points?  Does the quality of the sources meet the guidelines specified by the instructor?  Has the student cited these sources correctly?  Is the Works Cited list formatted correctly? Has the student cited all of the sources listed in the Works Cited?

C4—Diverse Perspectives

Does the student consider the counterargument fairly and carefully?  Do the articles which the student cites in the counterargument support the counterargument and not the argument? 

C5—Own Perspective

Has the student clearly stated an arguable thesis statement?  Do the lines of argument provide adequate support for this thesis statement, and is it clear how they support it? 

C6—Conclusion

Does the student summarize the main points that he or she has made?  Does the conclusion restate the thesis statement in some form (not necessarily in the same words)?  How effective is the conclusion rhetorically?

C7—Communication

Is the essay clearly organized and easy to follow?  Can you tell which paragraphs are lines of argument?  Is it clear how every paragraph helps to develop the thesis statement?  How effective is the student’s writing at the sentence level?

7. Course evalulations

 

Class - Wednesday, April 13, 2011

 

1.      Roll

2.      Questions on peer critiques?

3.      Collect documents from last week’s peer critiques for HW credit

4.      Review Revision techniques.

Some ideas:

·       Peer Review worksheets (posted/emailed)

·      http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/revisionchecklist.htm

• Reading backwards technique
• Cutting paper technique

5.      Grammar Overview and Questions

6.      Group Revision Exercise (for BA8)

7.      Review Brief Assignment 8 (due Monday by 11:59 p.m.)

Textbook: Chapter 8  pp.286-305
Assignment: Brief Assignment 8
Objective: To practice revising the structure and language of your argument 
 Purpose: After you have written several drafts of an essay, one of the final steps of revision prior to a last proofreading is to look closely at the sentence structure and language you have used to argue on behalf of your claim. This assignment enables you to practice these revisions on a single paragraph before working through the rest of your argument in the same way.
 Description: To complete this assignment, use the guidelines in Chapter 42 of the online handbook to revise one substantial body paragraph (i.e. between 6 – 8 sentences in length) from your 2.1 draft. Consider matters of organization, language, word choice, and grammar and mechanics as you revise. You will need to make significant revisions to your original paragraph. Include both the original and the revised paragraphs.
 You will also need to include 1) a statement of your thesis, so that your instructor knows the context in which these paragraphs were written, and 2) a paragraph evaluating the revisions you have made and their impact on the audience, purpose, and meaning of your draft as a whole.
Scoring Guide:
C1—Focus
Does the student thoroughly examine the quality and specificity of the body paragraph? Does the student use this examination to guide his or her revisions to the body paragraph?

C3—Sources and Evidence
Does the student’s revised paragraph show noticeable improvement? Does the student support his or her critique by directly referring to specific parts of his or her body paragraph? This criterion is particularly important because students tend to use vague and generic language that could apply to any draft.

C5—Own Perspective
Does the student show authority in relaying his or her perspective about what should be revised in the body paragraph and in justifying the effectiveness of the revisions that he or she has made?

C6—Conclusion
Does the student provide an accurate evaluative statement about the overall effectiveness of the revisions? Does the student discuss the significance of the revisions her or she has made? 

C7—Communication
How effectively is the revised version of the body paragraph delivered? Does the student communicate his or her critique of the revisions effectively? Has the student organized his or her critique effectively? Are both the revised introduction and the critique relatively free of grammatical errors?

Class - Wednesday, April 6, 2011

1.      Roll

2.      Draft Check (200 pts for 2, 100 pts for 1, 0 points for 0

3.      In-Class Peer Critique 1 (25 minutes)

4.      In-Class Peer Critique 2 (25 minutes)

Trauth 1302 – In-Class Peer Critique Assignment

Objective:

To demonstrate your ability to critique argumentative essays and articulate your critique to the text’s author

Part One Description:

After you have read the draft provided, please respond to each of the following prompts as specifically as possible, using detailed examples and select passages from the draft you have read to illustrate your points and validate claims about that draft (on your own sheet of paper). Each of your responses should be about 50 - 100 words in length, for a total of 300 words for each critique.

1. Identify the writer’s thesis (underline it) and then evaluate it for effectiveness. Discuss whether the thesis is specific enough and of appropriate scope for this argument. Explain why or why not and provide suggestions for the writer to help improve the thesis, if the thesis is ineffective.

2. How has the writer structured the argument? Explain in detail whether or not the support for the argument is presented in a logical and persuasive way and whether or not the counterarguments are realistic. Discuss any stronger counterarguments that the writer will need to rebut, if any.

3. Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether the sources are relevant and reliable, as well as whether they are used appropriately and effectively integrated. Explain to the writer how selecting or integrating sources in a different way might improve the argument, providing examples of revised versions of introducing, integrating, and commenting on source materials.

4. Examine the types of arguments employed in the draft. Does the author use ethos, pathos, and/or logos? Explain what types of arguments you see being used in the paper now and what types of arguments could possibly be added to strengthen the paper’s argument.

Part Two Description: Now, assess each major area as Needs Improvement, Satisfactory, or Excellent and make sure to answer all questions thoroughly in complete sentences. Provide examples and give suggestions when an area needs improvement.

5. Has the student focused his or her argument on a narrow topic? 

6.  Is the essay argumentative rather than informative?

7. Has the student considered the contexts of the articles which he or she quotes? 

8. Has the student discussed any assumptions which he or she makes about the topic as well as the assumptions which the articles make?

9.  Has the student presented sources effectively to support his or her points? 

10. Does the quality of the sources meet the guidelines specified by the instructor?  Has the student cited these sources correctly? 

11. Is the Works Cited list formatted correctly?

12. Has the student cited all of the sources listed in the Works Cited?

13. Does the student consider the counterargument fairly and carefully? 

14. Do the articles which the student cites in the counterargument support the counterargument and not the argument

15. Has the student clearly stated an arguable thesis statement? 

16.  Do the lines of argument provide adequate support for this thesis statement, and is it clear how they support it? 

17. Does the student summarize the main points that he or she has made? 

18.  Does the conclusion restate the thesis statement in some form (not necessarily in the same words)? 

19. How effective is the conclusion rhetorically?

20. Is the essay clearly organized and easy to follow? 

21. Can you tell which paragraphs are lines of argument? 

22. Is it clear how every paragraph helps to develop the thesis statement? 

23.  How effective is the student’s writing at the sentence level?

24. Which areas should the student focus revisions specifically?

25. Name two things done particularly well in this draft.

26. Name three areas the student should focus on in revisions (be specific)!

5.       Review Peer Critique Assignment (Part One of In-Class Peer Critique – Same Assignment. Find your papers to peer critique by clicking on “Submit Now” in RW. Complete two peer critiques by Monday at 11:59 p.m.

6.      Review Peer Critique Scoring Guide

The format for the critique is not set. Students may write an integrated essay, or they may do the critique in Q&A format. They may also refer to the writer in third person, or they may address the writer directly. However, do make sure that they are consistent. Some will begin in third person and shift to second.

Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student address all of the questions in the assignment? While some students may occasionally go beyond the prompts and provide additional information, some will ignore the questions altogether.

C3—Sources and Evidence

Has the student provided specific examples from the critiqued paper? In other words, does the student directly refer to specific parts of the text (paragraphs and/or sentences)?  This criterion is particularly important because students tend to use vague and generic language that could apply to any draft.

C5—Own Perspective

Does the student offer pertinent suggestions to the writer?  Does the student show authority in relaying his or her perspective about the effectiveness of the text? Students tend to shy away from making a direct critique of a document, or they default to praising the document in some generic way.

C6—Conclusion

Does the student provide an accurate evaluative statement about the draft's overall effectiveness?  Does the student discuss the significance of the problems he or she identifies in the draft (i.e., how important each of these problems are)?

C7—Communication

Does the student communicate his or her critique effectively?  Is the student's tone professional?  Has the student organized his or her critique effectively?  Is the critique relatively free of grammatical errors?