Thursday, April 27: Draft 1.2 and Writing Review

Hi there class,

First off, here's the link to the final lesson: Lesson 14. You're almost through this semester--only two assignments left! 

• Draft 1.2 (due 5/2)
• Writing Review (due 5/9)
• Either of these can be completed at ANY time, so you could be done with course work for this class whenever you choose to submit

Reminder: Open Tutoring is offered again this week Mon. (5/1) from 5-7pm. I highly suggest attending (or scheduling an appointment with the University Writing Center sometime this week--call soon, because appointment times fill up quickly).

MAKE SURE that your draft has incorporated the revisions you've been working on and any changes suggested by previous graders. As stated in the syllabus, if your draft 1.1 and 1.2 are over 90% similar, the highest grade I can give you is a zero. To double check your percentage before submitting, you can use a website like this one: Paper Comparison Checker.

This DOES NOT mean that you should ONLY change 10% of your paper. Your grade will suffer if your graders notice that you did not apply previous grader commentary to your new draft. Don't be afraid to make significant revisions.

Writing Review:

• Description: Write a 400 - 550 word reflection on what you have learned about academic writing and what you understand about it that wasn’t clear to you before. Look back at your assignments and commentary, class notes, and in-class activities. Also, if you attended study sessions, worked with your instructor during office hours, or used the onsite or online University Writing Center, discuss the role of those in your review.
• Develop a thesis that helps your readers understand what you will focus on in the review. Then, give specific examples that help you illustrate your thesis. For example, you can discuss specifically what you have learned about summarizing and paraphrasing texts, about analyzing texts, as well as what kinds of challenges those tasks posed for you. You should also discuss what you have learned about grammar and mechanics that has helped you become a stronger writer in that respect. In addition, you should also talk about other learning experiences you’ve encountered during the course. Finally, you should discuss how the work you’ve done in 1301 has or has not transferred to the writing you have been asked to do in other courses this semester.
• You may use first-person pronouns in this review, but keep in mind that the language and tone of the review should be professional.

What the assignment does NOT ask for:

• Complaints about grades
• What you disliked about the class
• Complaints about RaiderWriter
• These are things that should have been addressed in your course evaluation during class today, not within the assignment.
• Keep in mind--this is for a grade

Homework:

• Reading:
• St. Martin's Handbook: 4m "Reflecting on Your Writing," pgs. 92-3.
• Draft 1.2 (5/2)
• Next week's class: I still have to take attendance, so show up, sign in, and ask any questions you have about the course. Also, we'll be completing course evaluations during next week's class time, so be thinking about any commentary you'd like to write up.
• Writing Review (5/9)

That's it! See you all next week, and let me know if you have any questions.

Thursday, April 20: Sentence-Level Revision

Hi all!

Link to today's lesson: Lesson 13.

Today we discussed the editing/proofreading phase of writing--something that most of you are fairly comfortable with. We reviewed Andrea Lunsford's "Twenty Most Common Errors Made by Undergraduates," which should help you to catch some of those more pesky mistakes that everyone makes while writing. We also looked at ways to make your writing more concise, cutting out excess "fluff" material that does nothing to help you get to your point.

Homework:

• Reading: 
• St. Martin's Handbook: Chapters 44-49, "Confusing Shifts," "Parallelism," Comma Splices and Fused Sentences," Sentence Fragments," "Modifier Placement," Consistent and Complete Structures"; Chapters 51-52, "Coordination and Subordination," "Sentence Variety" pp.626-658, 665-677
• BA9 
• Open Tutoring Sessions: Monday 5/1

Brief Assignment #9:

• For this assignment, use the guidelines from Chapters 4, 5, 50, and 53 in the St. Martin’s Handbook to revise a substantial body paragraph (i.e. at least 4 sentences in length) from your Draft 1.1.
• These revisions can include grammatical edits/changes to sentence structure, but they also should include major revisions you've been making to your analysis.
• Paste the original paragraph from your 1.1 draft into the assignment so that your instructor will be able to compare the original with your revision.
• Finally, write a short summary and evaluation of your revisions. 
• Identify and explain which strategies you used in revision and explain these revisions achieve your purpose for the paper. 
• Also let readers know here which paragraph, your original or the revision, is the strongest and why you believe that to be so.

The total length of the analysis should be 350-500 words, NOT including the original and revised body paragraphs.

That should be all for now. Have a good week!

Thursday, April 13: Revising Introduction and Conclusion

Hello all!

Here's today's lesson: Lesson 12. We're zooming through the rest of the semester; next week we will tackle sentence-level revisions, and then we will move on to our draft 1.2 and writing review. The end is near!

As we discussed in class, we're working on revising our introductions and/or conclusions to draft 1.1 this week. Keep in mind, a good introduction:
(1) attracts the reader's attention and
(2) presents the topic and makes a comment on it.
A good conclusion:
(1) leaves readers satisfied that a full discussion has taken place and
(2) helps readers to know what they have learned.

In class today, we evaluated some sample introductions and conclusions as well: Worksheet.

Homework:

• Reading:
• St. Martin's Handbook: Chapters 4i, 4k-l, 5a-b, 5d-e, "Revising Paragraphs Sentences, Words, and Tone," "Editing," "Proofreading the Final Draft"; Chapters 50 and 53, "Concise Writing," "Memorable Prose" pp. 82, 87-92, 661-664, 678-685
• BA8
• Bring a HARD COPY of your most recent draft to class (or if you don't bring a hard copy, you MUST know how to use "Track Changes" on your laptop)

Brief Assignment #8:

Purpose: The introductory paragraph of a document plays a key role in how readers respond to the entire text. In this assignment, you will attempt a revision of your introduction to Draft 1.1. Keep in mind that your original introduction may remain the better of your two efforts.
Description: Your completed assignment should contain the following:

• A copy of your original introduction
• Your revised introduction
• A short summary and evaluation of your revisions, in which you identify and explain what you changed and why

The total length of the analysis should be 300-400 words, NOT including the original and revised introductions.

That should be all for now! Have a great week, and let me know if you have any questions.

Thursday, April 6: Planning Revision

Hello, everyone!

First off, here's today's lesson: Lesson 11. If you missed class, you should look through the presentation for jumping off points for potential revisions, as well as how to incorporate feedback into your revision plan.

This week, we're moving toward taking our peer/grader feedback and creating a plan for future revisions. Remember, you will be rewriting for your draft 1.2--you want to begin to "re-envision" your paper and the different choices you are free to make in your writing.

Approach your feedback in stages. Let yourself read directly through all your commentary, and then let it simmer for a while. Then, come back to your paper ready to work--ready to make a plan of action for changes you intend to make to your draft.

As stated in class, you will most likely apply peer feedback differently than grader feedback. At times, you get to decide which suggestions you will apply.

Remember, SAVE YOUR ORIGINAL DRAFT. Future assignments will want both original and revised copies of your work.

BA7:

Purpose: In BA6, you identified the elements that needed revision in someone else’s paper. In this assignment, you will do the same thing for your paper.

Description:

• First, write a short summary of the strengths and weaknesses of your current draft. 
• Using instructor feedback, peer critiques, and your own analysis, identify the specific elements that work well for your intended reader and those that do not.
• Next, write a plan of action. 
• Begin by identifying three specific areas or elements from your draft that you intend to revise and explain why you chose each one. 
• Then, using the recommendations from chapters 6 (see pp. 117-127) and 10 from First-Year Writing and chapter 4 of the St. Martin’s Handbook, explain the steps you will take to revise each one. 
• For example, if a particular paragraph is too vague for your reader, what are you going to have to do to make it more specific? If your topic sentences do not represent the main idea of each body paragraph, what will you do in order to better understand the main idea of each paragraph prior to revising each topic sentence?

This should be submitted in an essay of 500-650 words.

Homework:

• Readings: 
• First-Year Writing: Ch 17 pp 329-342
• St. Martin's Handbook: Chapters 4f, 4h, 5g, "Revising Thesis and Support, "Revising the Title, Introduction, and Conclusion," "Writing Special Purpose Paragraphs" pp. 80-82, 112-17
• BA7

That should be all for now. Have a good week!

Thursday, March 30: Peer Critiques

Hello all!

First off, here's today's lesson: Lesson 10. You have submitted your first draft (yay!), and we're moving on to revision. (If you have not yet submitted your draft, you need to get it in as soon as possible. The rest of our assignments are based on revising that draft, so not having it in will immediately put you behind).

This week, we focused on peer critiques (which will be due on Tuesday). You will anonymously critique two drafts submitted by your classmates through RaiderWriter.

Peer Critiques (as listed on RaiderWriter):

• For each critique, you will introduce the draft, summarize its main points, assess and respond to the author's presentation, and offer conclusions about the effectiveness of the analysis. Remember to speak as specifically as possible about the draft, quoting from it when necessary. Each critique will be 400 - 500 words in length.
• Text for Analysis/Thesis: Identify the writer's thesis and then evaluate it for effectiveness. 
• Determine whether the writer has selected a particular text to analyze and whether or not the thesis indicates that the writer will complete a rhetorical analysis of the text. 
• Discuss whether the thesis is specific enough and of appropriate scope for this analysis. For example, a thesis that states that an author uses ethos, pathos, and logos in their text is NOT specific enough for a rhetorical analysis. 
• Explain why or why not, and provide suggestions for the writer to help improve the thesis, if necessary.
• Quality and Specificity of Analysis: Evaluate the writer’s analysis. 
• Does the writer select specific quotations from the text to discuss? What are these quotations, and what does the writer have to say about them? 
• Does the writer seem to effectively analyze, or does the draft read more as a summary or paraphrasing of parts of the text being analyzed, or does the writer end up arguing about the content, rather than the structure and presentation of the text?
• Overall Essay Structure: Comment on the overall structure of the essay. For example, explain in detail whether or not the paragraphs are presented in a logical and persuasive way. 
• Does the writer provide a clear introduction, body and conclusion? 
• Does each paragraph begin with a clear topic sentence and transition into the next paragraph? Provide examples that are particularly effective or areas that need more improvement.

Technical Difficulties:

• Keep in mind that you do have two critiques due.
• Each critique is 400-500 words
• Within RaiderWriter, you'll open up "1.1a," and you must hit "Submit Now" or else it won't appear.
• RaiderWriter only saves that draft for you for 48 hours. If you open one and leave it for too long, you'll get a new paper next time. Try to finish your critique in one go.
• Know that, if you're giving a good peer review, you may not even get through their whole paper before hitting the word limit.

Homework:

• Reading:
• First-Year Writing: Ch 6 pp. 118-124
• St. Martin's Handbook: Chapter 4 pp. 64-93
• Peer Critiques

That should be all for now!

Thursday, March 23: Rhetorical Analysis (Draft 1.1)

Hello all,

First off, here's a link to today's lesson: Lesson 9.

I hope that the workshopping we did in class today gave you some good ideas/directions for any major changes you'll make to your draft before it's due on Tuesday. Keep in mind, this paper should be fully formed when you turn it in--you are not just submitting a fleshed-out outline or a really "rough" draft. You should have a thorough introduction, body paragraphs with sufficient analysis, a conclusion, and a works cited page at the end of your document.

Also, please note that when you submit the draft on RaiderWriter, you should: copy and paste the text into the text box AND attach the actual Microsoft Word document. If you have any technical difficulties, remember to email me a copy of the draft before the due date so I at least have it on file.

DRAFT 1.1--From RAIDERWRITER:

• After selecting your text and critically reading it, you will determine the writer’s purpose and intended audience for the text.
• Once you have determined these elements, you will begin to analyze the text so as to determine the specific strategies (rhetorical choices) the writer uses to achieve his or her purpose and to meet the needs of the audience. 
• For example, you might choose to look at such elements as the types of evidence a writer puts forward and how he or she does so. Ask yourself if the writer uses evidence from sources, or if he or she tells stories from personal experience. 
• Examine the sentence structures and word choice. How do these contribute to the author’s purpose? 
• Evaluate the overall tone of the text, and determine how it does or does not contribute to the way in which it communicates to its audience. 
• After you determine what these strategies or rhetorical choices are, consider how well these strategies (rhetorical choices) actually work. 
• As a result of this assignment, you should be able to take these skills and transfer them to any reading you are asked to do in college, and you should see an improvement in your ability to read and comprehend any text.

Although this is an initial draft, it should be carefully edited and written in a professional tone. Please use MLA format for both your in-text citations and your works cited in this draft.
Your draft should be 1200 words in length.  

Homework

• Reading: 
• St. Martin's Handbook: Chapter 4a, 4c-e, "Rereading Your Draft," "Getting the Most from Peer Reviewers' Comments," "Learning from Instructor Comments," "Revising with Peer and Instructor Comments"; Chapters 27, 28, 30, "Writing to the World," "Language that Builds Common Ground," "Word Choice" (pp. 27-28, 30, 64-66, 76-79, 354-359, 360-366, 374-385) 
• First-Year Writing: Chapter 6 (pp. 121-125)
• Draft 1.1 due Tuesday
• (Optional) Open Tutoring Session on Monday (3/27) from 5-7pm. ENGL/PHIL 352 or 353.

Thursday, March 9: Revision

Hello all!

First off, here's today's lesson: Lesson 8.

For today's class, we discussed where you are in the writing process for your draft 1.1, and we also discussed how revision is *not* the same thing as editing/proofreading.

Remember, in revision, you should start out by giving yourself some distance from your first draft, and then you focus on rereading for conveyed meaning, recalling your own purpose in writing your draft, reconsidering your rhetorical stance, considering your audience, and evaluating your organization. These are big picture issues that you want to get squared away before you work on smaller details through editing (you don't want to do all that work editing only to find you need to change directions on a big idea of your paper, right?). Again, these steps in the writing process basically ensure that you are conveying exactly what you mean to convey about a topic--that you are expressing your argument effectively.

I encourage you to keep looking at the differences in the sample drafts from draft 1.1 to 1.2 in the back of your book (pgs. 471, 478). Look for the author's identification of audience/purpose and rhetorical choices, organization of ideas, adherence to the assignment, etc. (other big picture ideas).

Homework:

• Reading: St. Martin's, Ch. 2 (pgs. 23-39)
• Bring a HARD COPY of your working rhetorical analysis to class after spring break (Draft 1.1 assignment is on RaiderWriter under the syllabus--take a look at it and make sure that you adhere to the assignment). The due date for your rhetorical analysis is coming up (March 28th), so you need to begin drafting! 
• You have already done a good chunk of the work here--you have gathered information, identified audience/purpose, structured a thesis statement, and you have even started a bit of analysis here and there. I am asking you to take your first swing at putting this into paper format. 
• BA6

Brief Assignment #6:

Description: To complete this assignment, you will read the initial draft provided on RaiderWriter and then write an initial paragraph in which you discuss the problems that you see in the current draft. 

Next, read the revised draft and write another paragraph in which you discuss:
1) Whether the problems that you saw in the first draft were addressed.
2) Whether the revisions fixed other issues that you hadn’t noticed in the draft.
3) Why the revisions are or are not an improvement over the first draft.

If you believe other revisions should be made to the draft, conclude your assignment with an explanation of what those are and how the revisions should be made.

Your discussion should be 500 - 650 words in length.

Let me know if you have any further questions. Have a great spring break!