How you'll feel after turning in your portfolio!

How you'll feel if you don't :(

I'll be in my office COAS 269 for sure from 9am-11:30am and 1pm-4.

If I'm not there when you stop by, I have ventured out for food. Stick around and I'll brb. Please do not leave papers in my box. The evil gnomes will steal them.

Also, no late work, folks.Your work must be in by 4pm MONDAY

Portfolio Requirements

Yes, yes, my evil plan to help you become great writers!

Folks:

All portfolios are due on Monday, December 9th. You will need to drop it off at my office (ARHU 269) between 8am-11am or 1pm-4pm. No late work will be accepted. If you do not drop off your portfolio during these times, do not expect a passing grade.

Your portfolio is hefty. It's a big piece of your grade (50%!). Be sure to go a good job with it.

Your portfolio must include:

1. Graded copies of stages 1-4 with my comments. If you've misplaced my comments, then instead of including this, you'll need to write a one page reflection on your revision process (what you've changed and why) for each missing paper.

2. Your original Stage V -- of course, without my comments. This will be your pre-peer review version. 

3. Revised and edited copies of stages 1-5.

4. Any extra credit papers from throughout the semester.

Please be sure you're turning in polished work. At this point, I will be looking at grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting in addition to content. Many students have asked if MLA formatting is required. The short of my answer is "yes" -- UNLESS you have a reason for not using MLA. For example, if, throughout the semester, your writing has been focused on a science discipline, you may choose to use APA instead. Maybe your essays are all about how MLA ruined your life D-: in which case, it would make sense to use something else.

So in other words, if you don't use MLA, be sure to articulate WHY you've made the rhetorical decision not to.

 How you decide to present this information to me is entirely up to you. As long as it is presented in a way that your audience (me!) can easily make sense of your work, you'll be in good shape. Is turning in a big pile of crumpled/unstabled and messy papers audience centered? I'm thinking no.

You are being graded on the quality of your finished product and the rhetorical effectiveness of your writing.

May the force be with you! Make it so! For Durotar! Engage!

Stop! It's (almost) Grammar Time

As we finish up our Stage Vs and wrapping up our portfolios, it's just about that time of the writing process where we begin editing.

One way I recommend going about editing your papers is to take them to the University Writing Center (in the ASB). They're super apt at finding all your wonderful spelling, punctuation and usage errors, so give them a try!

One other thing we'll be doing in class is having Mini-Lessons on pesky grammar skills that I've noticed (by reading your papers of course) you might be having trouble with. For extra credit, why don't you volunteer to teach the class about one of these? Your lesson will have to include 1. An explanation of the rules and 2. an activity to reinforce it with the class. You should expect to spend between 10-15 minutes. Volunteers who successfully present a "Grammar Time" lesson will receive 5 points to their final grade. It's pretty generous, I know.

Up for grabs:

1.Then vs. Than
2. Identifying and Correcting Run-On Sentences
3. Properly Using Quotation Marks
4. Their, There, and They're (Oh my!)
5. Using Semi Colons
6. To, Too, and Two
7. You're vs. Your
8. Apostrophes

All grammar time presentations will take place on Monday, December 2nd


I'll be sending around a sign-up sheet in class. If you're seeing this and want to reserve on, let me know by shooting me an email or leaving a comment below.

By the way, I WILL be looking at spelling/grammar/usage MLA business when it comes to your final portfolios. So please, do proofread. 


Today's Classwork:

You will be writing a reflective essay on your group project. Your essay should be a minimum of one handwritten page. Basically, I want you to discuss how your group project went. Here are the areas I'd like you to address:

• Give an overall description of your group project. What did you all create and why? What do you think were your projects strengths and limitations?
•  With your project, who was in charge of what? How would you grade each team member (including yourself!) in they contributed to the project?
• What was the PURPOSE of your project? Do you think you've achieved that purpose? Why or why not?
• Who was your target audience? What rhetorical choices did you make in your project to reach that audience? What do you think you could have done better/differently?
• What did you learn from the experience?

A reminder: We will not have class on Wednesday, 11/27. Use this time to work on your stage v papers. Your rough draft will be due when we return from Thanksgiving break on 12/2.

Thinking About Stage V

The key to a successful Stage 5 is some serious reflection

On Monday in class, we will begin by looking at Stage V, which essentially requires you to look back at how you've grown as a writer, citing specific examples of your journey as evidence for your growth (or lack of growth, though I hope this isn't the case!).


In the classroom

In class, you'll be reading an example of Stage VI and answering the following questions about the essay, conducting a mock peer review session:


1. Narrative -- Briefly summarize the story told in the essay. How does the author characterize herself coming into English 1301? What struggles did she face? How did she overcome these struggles?

2. Vivid Details -- What specific details does the author use to support their essay? What readings do they quote? What examples do they give?

3. Discourse -- How does the author connect their experience to the greater discourse of writing studies?

4. Significance -- What was the outcome of the author's journey and why is it important?

5. What do you think are the overall strengths of the essay? How do you think the author might improve her paper?

And here's a big hint for stage V: you'll also need to make sure YOUR essay addresses the 4 areas (narrative, details, discourse and significance)!


 Studio Work

 When we get to the studio, you'll be working in your groups, putting the finishing touches on your group projects. You will be required to work in the studio for at least half of the class period -- team tech will be documenting your progress by recording some brief videos of your discussions, asking questions, and taking pictures for their project.


Important upcoming dates:

Wednesday, November 20th -- NO CLASS. Finalize your group projects

Monday, November  25th -- COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS ARE DUE.

Wednesday, November 27th -- NO CLASS. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Monday, December 2nd -- Stage V Drafts due today for peer review. Please bring 3 copies to class!

Wednesday, December 4th -- Our last class day. We will be conducting peer review for Stage V and peer review critiques are due.

Final Exam Week

Monday, December 9th -- Your final portfolios are due!

Conference Schedule

Don't stand me up >:O

On November 11th and and 13th, you will be meeting with me one-to-one in my office to discuss your stage iv progress. We will not be having class, but be sure to come to your scheduled day/time. Also, use this time outside of class to work on your collaborative projects.

Revisions to stage iv are due when we return on November 18th.

Below is our conferencing schedule:

Monday November 11th
1:00 -- Jorge L
1:10 -- Selena
1:20 -- Sergio
1:30 -- Jorge R
1:40 -- Aaron S
1:50 -- Vianney
2:00 -- Aaron B
2:10 -- Ydana
2:20 -- Robby
2:30 -- Kike
2:40 -- AVAILABLE
2:50 --  Michael
3:00 -- Carlos

Wednesday, November 13th
1:00 -- Brittanie
1:10 -- Iannelli
1:20 -- Jacob R
1:30 -- Stanislava
1:40 -- Omar
1:50 -- Isamar
2:00 -- Benito
2:10 -- AVAILABLE
2:20 -- AVAILABLE
2:30 -- Justin
2:40 -- AVAILABLE
2:50 -- Isaiah
3:00 -- Ralph

Working on Stage IV!

My cat! Because I couldn't think of a meme to go with this blogpost

On Wednesday, your stage IV draft II is due, and we'll be scheduling conferences in class to discuss your Stage IV essays. Be sure to come to class ON TIME, or you'll be left with whatever appointment no one picked.

Before we get into that, you'll need to write a reflective cover letter (addressed to me) about your Stage IV essay. Please address the following in your letter (not as bullet points >:O)

• Briefly describe your research project. What are you investigating and why?
• What do you think you got right about this assignment, taking into account the four points I'm looking for (original claim, inquiry (research), discourse (connections) and citations? 
• What did your peers have to say about your essay? What did you revise based on their suggestions?
• What do you feel still needs work in your essay?
• What would you like feedback on or help with?

STUDIO WORK

I'm giving you all studio time to work on your collaborative projects. Report to the studio. If you'd like to work someplace else, just let me know. Be sure to sign in!


Looking ahead: Next week, we will NOT be having class. You are only required to come for your scheduled appointment, and you'll be meeting in my office. Use this time to 1. work on revising your stage IV and wrapping up any primary research and 2. work on your collaborative project. I will post the conferencing schedule up on the blog before Monday.

Stage IV Draft III is due on Monday, November 18th.

Making Progress?

This week's a big week for us!

On Monday, your proposals are due. In your groups, be ready to report back to me about your progress so far. Depending on your group, you'll be reporting to me:

Writing, Reading and Peer Review (Meet in the CLASSROOM at 1:10)

Revision, Research and Technology (Meet in the STUDIO at 2:35)

Please have a typed copy of your group proposal and be ready to talk about it informally with me and your classmates. Use your "off period" to work on your Stage IV.

HOMEWORK

Finalize your Stage IV Drafts. 1 copy due to instructor on WEDNESDAY.

What's Up for Week 10?

NOT a good example of the type of critique you'll be receiving!

On Wednesday, we'll be conducting peer review in class. These are the guiding questions you can use to inform your critiques:


1. What question is the author setting out to answer? How does the author tie their question back to the discussions we've been having in this class (discourse)? Are those connections apparent?

2. What type of inquiry does the author engage in? Does the author clearly illustrate this? How does the author tie their inquiry back to their question? Do they analyze, or just paraphrase? How might this be improved?

3. What claim does the author make, in relation to their question? Is the claim original? How does the author support their claims? How does the author articulate the importance and significance of their claim? In other words, so what?

4. How does the author give formal credit to their sources? Check for parenthetical citations and a works cited page.


Critiques are due WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30TH


In class on Wednesday, you'll need to turn in the following revision plan:

• What did you learn were the strengths of your essay? Be specific!
• What did you learn were the limitations of your essay? Be specific!
• Based on your group's discussion, how do you plan to revise your essay? Be specific! 

STUDIO WORK


Be sure to come by and sign-in with your group. You will have time to work on your projects collaboratively, either in the studio or elsewhere (just let me know).


Upcoming due dates:

Wednesday, October 30th -- Critiques due!

Monday, November 4th -- Collaborative proposals due! Turn one in per group

Wednesday, November 6th -- Stage IV draft II is due today! Bring 1 copy to class to turn in to instructor.

Collaborative Project Proposals

Wednesday in class we'll be discussing the collaborative project. Please come to class with a list of questions or concerns you have.

Again, this project really gives you an opportunity to get creative, so please, do just that! The gist of the assignment is that you need to create a public document and present it to an authentic audience. How your group decides to interpret that is completely up to you!

The first step in this is going to be drafting up a PROJECT PROPOSAL which you'll be turning in to me for feedback and approval. Your PROPOSALS are due Monday, November 4th, though you will have plenty of class time to work on these.

Basically for the proposal, you're telling me what you plan to do for your collaborative project. Here is a form you can use to type into:

PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM

And because I think you might need an example, here is one!

PROJECT PROPOSAL EXAMPLE

We will not be meeting in the studio. Use this class time to work on your project proposals. You may want to meet in the library, the ASB, or a study room in the student union.

Homework

Work on Stage IV. Your first draft is due on Monday, October 28th! Bring 3 copies to class for peer review.
Also, continue working on your group project proposals

We're Halfway There!

We've passed the half-way point of the semester, which means we're going to be switching gears a little bit!

In class Monday, I'd like us to take a step back and think about how far along we've come. On that note, you'll be writing a reflective essay about your progress with Stages I-3 so far. To do this, you'll need the GRADED copies of stages 1-2 in class (I will bring your stage 3!).

Then, this also marks the beginning of our COLLABORATIVE PROJECT, which we'll begin discussing.

STUDIO WORK

Read the Bernstein article and address the following discussion questions. This can be a springboard into thinking about the collaborative project, too.

Bernstein Discussion Questions

1.      Summarize the main points of Bernstein’s argument in the essay. What problems does he see?

2.      WHO is Bernstein? Do you think he’s a credible source? Why or why not? 

3.      What do you think Bernstein’s purpose for writing this essay is? Do you think he’s successful in achieving his purpose? Why or why not?

4.      Thinking about YOUR high school experience vs. your experience in college so far, do you think Bernstein’s fears are accurate? What problems of issues have YOU faced? Discuss them and compare/contrast with what Bernstein says.

5.      Thinking about the problems or issues you’ve encountered – what do you think can be done to solve those problems, or even to make the transition to high school to college easier for students? Who do you think might be able to make those changes? You might even think about problems related to your construct (hint hint hint, preparing for the collaborative project).

HOMEWORK

Review the COLLABORATIVE PROJECT assignment details and bring a list of questions you have about it

Continue working on your STAGE IV essays. Rough drafts are due  Monday, October 28th. Here is an EXAMPLE in case you're in need of a little more direction.

Week 8 Plans

Actually, yes you do!

Class,

This week, we'll be beginning our Stage IV discussions and moving forward with our individual research projects. Before you all get going with those, though, I want to meet with you all in small groups to address any concerns and provide you with some feedback on your plans of inquiry (Stage III). Therefore, most of our class time during week 8 will be devoted to small group meetings. I will be meeting with your groups based on the "construct groups" you all chose in the beginning of the semester (by the way, if you'd like to make adjustments to those groups, now would be a good time to bring it up).


Monday

1:10 - 1:40: Whole class discussion on Stage IV. All must attend
1:40-2:25 --  Small group meeting with team "Writing" and "Reading" in the CLASSROOM (SBS 106)

Good Writing:

Jacob

Vianney

Omar

Michael

Aaron B.

Good Reading

Isaiah

Stanislava

Benito

Ydana

 


Wednesday: Small group meetings both class periods

Meeting from 1:10 - 2:25 in the CLASSROOM

Peer Review

Selena

Ralph

Sergio

Aaron S

Revision

Kike

Robbie

Justin

Leslie

Meeting from 2:35-3:50 in the STUDIO

Research

Jake

Jesus

Jorge L

Carlos

Technology

Isa

Nelly

Britannie

Jorge

You are only required to come on your scheduled time. This will be a good time to ASK questions, get help, and address any concerns about your research proposal and project.