Here’s the grading rubric for your provisional essay
The essay will be incomplete (F) without a full annotated bibliography
The most weight of the final grade is on the top portion, the course expectations. This, in essence, makes the research portfolio a final exam in that it measures your ability to incorporate the lessons on analysis, quoting, and linking claims to evidence with logical reasoning.
Each section must earn a passing score for the provisional essay to pass (and to pass the class). I’ve made it very achievable. I’ve also made it very achievable to score well in the research portion. Please read through the scoring rubric to gain a better understanding of the basic expectations of the course and the assignment. This rubric is consistent with the lessons produced all semester, the workshops, and the assignment prompts.
Class is asynchronous this week. Watch these videos for help writing the Research Proposal and the Annotated Bibliography. Stay tuned for two more short videos on the Bridge and the Provisional Paper. Catch up on your research and writing as well as your sleep.
Stay tuned for a video (still uploading) on naming the functions of your sources in your annotated bibliography.
Also, coming up: a short demo on the provisional paper. Hint: use your research notes!
For the last few weeks, we have focused on our discussions in class and in workshop. We have transitioned to a mode of workshopping in which you are invited to bring in-process, unfinished material to the “table,” so that we can focus on where you are at the moment and develop the best approach for the next 1-2 steps. Many students are still workshopping their research proposals, because this is a new genre for many! In High School, writers are encouraged to write topic-driven essays. College writers are expected to write problem-driven essays. That’s a lot to think about, so we’re working on that in workshops. This week, we are also integrating some annotated bibliography help.
In class, we will use the following handouts and a worksheet to guide our group activity on the items bolded above. The handouts and worksheet are found in the In-Class Activities and Notes folder in the Shared Folder for Unit 3. They are also linked below (you may need to be logged in to view):
Read or Watch: You have two weeks (this week and next) to complete the text (or movie) along with Assignment 3.2. The estimated total time of reading or watching is two hours, and can be completed in small chunks over the two weeks or in one or two longer sessions.
This week, begin reading/watching and prepare to complete Assignment 3.2.
A couple of students wrote in the survey about the work load. In response, I’ve cut out a few things. I woke up thinking I should also cut out the assignment for “Ethos, Hexis, and the Case for Persuasive Technologies.” Instead, I will post a video (by Friday) summarizing the points I want you to consider. Instead of sending notes on the reading, send only your reflection on persuasive technologies and response to the arguments in the video. This is a short free write assignment and is meant to start the discussion for Monday’s class.
Here’s the video instructions for the writing process from zero to focused draft. There’s a place to hit pause and grab a drink of water in the middle.
This week, we have been looking at a way to brainstorm and write by focusing on form. When working with the assignment to summarize the lens text for Essay 2, the selections from Going Viral, workshoppers have practiced the “collage” method and employed earlier lessons on quoting and paragraph structure. First, writers begin by extracting relevant quotations from the selections. Then, writers complete the steps to making the quotations “righteous,” adding context, attribution, explanation and justification, and citation. When writing the explanation and justification, writers explain the idea illustrated by the quote and argue for why it matters that readers understand or see this element of the selected text. Sometimes, the explanation and justification can replace the quote entirely, or provide enough information that the original quoted text may be cut down to the most essential part. This form-first method of writing the summary can help writers get out of overthinking their writing.
The lessons this week are short and simple. While I focus on grading Essay 1 Last Drafts, you will focus on reading and watching the exhibit texts, linked in the schedule and below. I’m excited to see your responses to the form. Happy writing!
Greetings! This week is an oddball week. Tuesday is technically on a Monday schedule, but it is not on a Monday schedule at LaGuardia, where I teach a class at the same time as our class. The LaGuardia semester only just started, and if you remember how “fun” it was to start the semester online you can imagine how much they need a live presence answering their questions right now. Do not worry, though. We have a productive week ahead of us. This week, I’m asking you to do at least one of the following video lessons and activities. Each short video has an activity meant to help you revise your last draft of Essay 1 before submitting it. If you turned it in already, I hope you kept a copy! I will go into the TURN IN folder and make sure it is shared with you. You will get credit for each lesson and activity deliverable you do, but you are only required to do one, which means extra credit for you is available. Choose this option if you think you have fallen behind or have shown up to workshops without drafts to workshop.
A note about workshop: I set that time aside to give feedback on your writing. Feedback is the most useful part of this class, so I want you to have it, but if you show up to workshop without something to share I cannot give you feedback. This means it is a waste of my time. If you find yourself needing guidance, clarity, or reassurance on your writing but you have not shown up with your writing at the workshop, we have a problem. I may need to change the organization of the class and workshops to set aside time for students who have not been showing up with drafts. This would likely mean that all groups meet at the same time but only include those who have drafts, and that the length of each session would be shorter.
A note about the assignment schedule: I’m going to change things to adjust for the way things have been going. Based on how things are going so far, I believe there need to be more options for approaching the reading, more structured and purposeful instruction on the assignments, and opportunities to write-to-think in free-writes. This week, I will revise the upcoming assignment schedule to integrate these findings, and I will start requesting feedback so that you can help me teach you more effectively and usefully. A writing class is meant to be challenging, but the platform is not the challenge goal of the class!
See the lessons posted below, but first read the following announcement:
If you have not done so already, please fill out or encourage your household to fill out Census 2020.
The population numbers from the Census determine resource allocations for billions of dollars in federal funding (which New York State contributes a high amount to!) and the numbers of New York reps there are in Congress.
Here’s a link to New York’s portal to the Census: https://www.ny.gov/programs/2020-census# And here’s more information: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/2020-census/about.html Even if you are not a US citizen, you should fill out the Census. There are no questions about citizenship and documentation on the general Census. The information is confidential and by law cannot be shared with any other governmental agencies. The census is simply to count people so every person living here should be accounted for. Right now the estimated count in Queens is about 60%.
The deadline for Census 2020 has been extended to October 31st but please fill it out as soon as possible.
Lessons
This week, especially Tuesday, the focus is really on quoting authors effectively. There is a lot to quoting, so we will take it step by step. Complete at least one of the following lessons and its activities for credit. These lessons are essential for your Essay 1 Last Draft revisions. Each video starts with the same title introduction but they contain different, vital information about quoting effectively. Complete the lesson activities by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. to receive credit. Credit is for participation (engagement) and for process writing, so it really counts!
Here are a couple of things to make sure to include in your revised quotations no matter which lesson you choose:
Introduce authors with first and last names, and follow using only the relevant author’s last name. If you are not personally friends with the author you have no business writing about them on a first name basis.
Cite your sources in MLA style as much as possible. In Essay 1, this means introducing the title of the presentation you quote or paraphrase. If it is not immediately clear which presentation you’re quoting, you can include a parenthetical title citation at the end of a sentence. If you quote the article, include the page number in a parenthesis after the quotation marks.
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Week 1
8/26-8/30
Good morning! Now that you have attended the introductory class, you may still feel confused about what you’re supposed to do. Here is a list of next steps.
3. Read the entire syllabus and post one question by Thursday (11:59 pm). Follow these guidelines for your question.
4. Complete the reading, Ted Ed Lesson–plus discussion posts assigned in lesson–and Video watching assignment by Friday at 11:59pm. These are listed below:
Read: “Backpacks and Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis”. The link may lead you to the whole textbook, but you only need to read the chapter titled “Backpacks vs. Briefcases.” You don’t need to answer the questions listed in the text at the end of the chapter. Rather, follow the process in the TedEd lesson and answer questions (about both the reading and the video) within the TedEd platform. You will need to register for TedEd to post with your name.
Phew! It seems like a lot of steps, but it will go by very quickly, and it will give us sturdy footing to write together.
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