In-class Writing and Homework

On your blogs, I would like you to write for twenty minutes without stopping.  The subject: a family member.  You can write about any family member, on any subject pertaining to him/her.  Describe what he or she looks like; think about the characteristics he or she possesses that defines who he or she is; or think about some conflict that you've had with him or her (possibly a conflict you've witnessed him or her deal with).  What ever you decide to write about, make sure to write nonstop for twenty minutes (or longer, if you'd like).  This information could be used to draft an essay for our personal narrative unit.

For homework, you will need to complete the first draft of a personal essay.  You can turn one of your in-class writing prompts into an essay, or you can choose to write about something else.  Whatever the case, make sure that you are a part of the story and that it has conflict.  You will need to post an electronic copy of this draft to the discussion board (titled "First Draft Peer Review") by next Thursday (March 1st).  We will workshop them in class.

In addition to the rough drafts, there are two reading assignments due for next week.  Under the Content section of D2L, you will find two personal essays--"Graduation," by Maya Angelou, and "Me Talk Pretty One Day," by David Sedaris.  Have these read before and be prepared to discuss them during class next week.  We may have another quiz on one of the pieces.

Blog Posts and Reading Assignments

The in-class writing prompt for February 16th is to write about a nightmare experience that you lived through.  Think about the film we watched in class, Groundhog Day, and write about a time when your fears came to fruition.  Or, another way to think about it is to write about a really horrible day that you experienced.

As I discussed in class on the 16th, you have some reading and writing homework.  The written assignment is to respond to the Good Thunder reading (assignment sheet found in D2L under the Content section). 

In addition to writing a response to the Good Thunder reading, you have two reading assignments for homework: the first is to read an essay by Diana Joseph titled, "The Boy," and the second is to read an essay by Sarah Vowell titled, "Shooting Dad."  Be prepared to discuss both essays in class on February 23rd.

Peer Review Practice and Blog Posts

In preparation for future peer reviews, and to help you through the Summary/Response revision process, we will be conducting practice runs via the D2L Discussion board.  I have place you all into groups and have asked you (in class) to post one of the essays you have submitted to the Dropboxes to your group's discussion forum.  Please choose one of your group member's essays to read and review.

After you have read your peer's essay, reply to his/her post with feedback for how they can improve the piece.  You can use the descriptive or prescriptive method when responding, but please avoid simply saying "I liked this," or "I didn't like this."  If something is or isn't working in your peer's paper, be specific about how they do or don't work.

• Descriptive method: identifying what the writer is doing in his/her piece and discussing the payoffs and pitfalls of those choices.
• Prescriptive method: telling the writer what needs to be changed or left alone and providing your reasons.

For the in-class writing, I asked you all to respond to the question, "What did you take away from the Tim O'Brien essay?"  You can go any direction you'd like with this question, but try to write for about 15 minutes when responding.

Also, I have uploaded a document to D2L that consists of questions to consider when responding to a text.  Please feel free to reference this document, as well as pages 70-83 in the Rules for Writers handbook, when working on your Summary/Response paper.

Homework for February 9th

I just wanted to clarify the reading and writing assignments that are due next week.  First, the writing assignment is to write a response to the film, Groundhog Day.  The assignment sheet for this response can be found under the Content section of D2L.  If you have any questions about the guidelines, please contact me as soon as possible.

The reading assignment for next week can also be found under the Content section of D2L.  Please have the essays "I Want a Wife," by Judy Brady, and "How to Tell a True War Story," by Tim O'Brien, read by class on Thursday.  We will have a short quiz on both essays prior to discussing them.  There is no writing response due for these readings; just be prepared to discuss them in class.