Portfolio Deadlines
There are two opportunities to submit your portfolios to me. Please remember that you must bring the portfolio to my office, Bates 203A, and hand it to me directly. If I am not at my desk, I will be back momentarily. Here are the times I will be available to collect portfolios:
Thursday, December 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 20th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Citing Your Own Work
In your portfolio, you’ll be required to cite your own work as supporting evidence for the argument / case you are making. To cite an unpublished manuscript on the Works Cited page, follow this format:
Last name, first name. “title.” description (e.g. essay). Institution (Westfield State University, date.
Since you will be citing at least two papers, they should be alphabetical by order of title.
In-text citation (parenthetical citations) : (“signal word from title” #).
Sequence 3 Outcomes
1.Rhetorical Knowledge
- Write with purpose, in varied rhetorical situations and for varied audiences.
2. Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing, and Speaking
- Use writing, reading, and speaking for inquiry, learning, and thinking.
- Recognize, analyze, and interact with both opposing and supporting views.
- Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize appropriate primary and secondary sources.
- Integrate their own ideas with those of others.
3. Processes
- Understand writing as a process that allows writers to rethink and revise their work.
- Develop strategies for drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading their papers.
- Learn to give effective feedback to peers about their writing.
- Become effective and rigorous critics of their own writing.
4. Knowledge of Conventions
- Learn common organizational strategies appropriate for different kinds of essays or texts.
- Practice appropriate means of documenting secondary material.
- Gain competence in controlling such features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Quiz 3 Links and Forbidden Topics
For Quiz 3, you must complete the Ely Library Book Explorations assignment by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 31. There are several ways to access the assignment:
From the Ely Library Facebook page: Click “Discussions” in the left-hand column.
From the Ely Library Homepage: > Instruction > Information Instruction Program
> For Students > Ely Library Book Explorations
Or click here to directly link to the assignment.
Follow the instructions listed on the page. Please complete only one of the assignment topics.
I will receive a report from Ely Library with your participation and results. As long as you participate, you will receive credit!
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As promised, here is a list of the “Forbidden Topics” (queue eerie music):
- legalizing marijuana
- lowering the drinking age
- abortion
- war in Iraq/Afghanistan
- steroids and sports
Sequence Two Outcomes
Here are the outcomes on which we’ll focus for Sequence Two:
1.Rhetorical Knowledge:
- Write with purpose, in varied rhetorical situations and for varied audiences.
- Understand how different kinds of writing (e.g. different genres or purposes) influence the choices writers make about content, structure, language, and style.
2. Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing, and Speaking:
- Use writing, reading, and speaking for inquiry, learning, and thinking.
3. Processes:
- Understand writing as a process that allows writers to rethink and revise their work.
- Develop strategies for drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading their papers.
4. Knowledge of Conventions:
- Learn common organizational strategies appropriate for different kinds of essays or texts.
- Gain competence in controlling such features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Writing the Cover Letter
With your final essay packet, I’ve asked you to submit a cover letter. Here is a link that will guide you in how to write a business letter. For my address, simply use my office number, Bates 203A.
The letter will have at least five paragraphs. After a short introductory paragraph (Why are you writing? What is the context?), write a paragraph in which you select two or three of the outcomes that were the focus for this Sequence (see your Sequence 1 schedule for a list of the outcomes on which we focused) over which you feel you have gained some mastery. Explain, with specific examples, how you can prove this.
In the next paragraph, identify 1-3 Sequence Outcomes with which you are still struggling and discuss what progress you have made and why you believe you are struggling.
Your third paragraph should discuss what did or did not work in the writing process and why (free writes, first draft, peer review, revision, conference).
In your final paragraph, explain the major changes made among your drafts, including examples to support what you are saying.
Will’s Advice
Remember: we’re meeting in Bates computer lab (sections .029 and .030 meet in Bates 04; section .040 meet in Bates 03) on Tuesday, September 27. Be sure to have all of your log-in and password information for WordPress, Dropbox, and Twitter. If you are having problems navigating any of these sites, we will strive to clear them up for you!
In the meantime, here’s a post written by one of my Comp 102 students last spring. I think Will offers some great advice! Leave him a comment to let him know what you think.
Dropbox, WordPress, and Twitter, oh, my!
I’ve created some Jings to help you navigate setting up accounts with the online services we will use this semester.
First, download Dropbox. Once you’ve set up your account (remember, use your WSU email for extra free storage), take some time to get familiar with the site, then set up a shared folder with me.
Next, set up your WordPress account.
If you’d like to follow me on Twitter (and learn about any extra credit opportunities), set up an account. If you already have an account, my user name there is ProfBeverly. Please note that this Jing was created originally for my Comp 102 students. Your hashtags should read #Comp101.
I hope you enjoy exploring these online services!
Welcome to Think Harder
Think Harder is a blog designed to be a fantastic resource for you, my English Composition students. Take a look around. Over in the sidebar you’ll see a list of resources that I have gathered, each of which will be useful to you throughout the semester and beyond. As students create their own blogs, they will be listed in the sidebar, too, making it easy to visit and comment on the writing of your peers.
I will use Think Harder as a repository for assignments, worksheets, and other information to make English Composition a fruitful class.
Here’s to a great semester!