Reading & Assignments: Comp I
Fall: 2006
Listed on the day they are assigned—to be completed on the next day of
class.
Tues. Aug. 29
4Read about paragraphing (4a-e, Handbook)
4Concentrate on 4 types of Paragraphs under 4c: examples, narration, description, and comparison
4Come to next class with a rough outline (just a list of sections or events) for your literacy autobiography (a story about an early experience with writing or reading, and how it influenced you.
Th, Aug. 31
4Read about Autobiography (Ch. 2, Text, pp. 13-19).
4Concentrate on the essay by Annie Dillard (pp. 16-19). Circle words or phrases that seem to suggest the main underlying message of the essay. Type a response to this question: what is Dillard suggesting about life, and what particular words serve as clues to this meaning?
4Also return to the first two paragraphs of the essay when you are done and explain whether they serve an important purpose in the essay. Why or why not?
Tues. Sept. 5
4Type up a solid, revised paragraph from your literacy autobiography and staple it to the original essay. Highlight and label the topic sentence on this revised paragraph, and describe which type of paragraph this one is, based on the types described in Handbook 4c. Be sure to keep the literacy autobiography and revised paragraph for an exercise at the end of the semester.
Th. Sept 7
4Read “Rick” (59-61 in Text). Type up your response: What memories did this piece trigger, in terms of your own experience? What descriptive details from the story help to give it a second layer of meaning and significance? Explain, using two or three details.
4Also read “A Guide to Writing Autobiography” (70-74 in Text).
Tues. Sept 12
4Read 64 a-b in Handbook and do the exercises 64-1 a-e. Also read 19 (whole section) and do the exercises 19-1 a-e.
4Come to class with two copies of a draft of your Personal Experience Story, for peer reviewing.
Th. Sept 14
4Bring a typed, double-spaced final copy of Essay #1: A Personal Experience Story. Be sure to put it in a folder with the assignment sheet, your peer reviews, and the assignment sheet. Include a note on the first page (above the title) on the things that you revised based on the peer reviews and your own evaluation of the story. Highlight these main changes on the final, clean copy of the story.
4Read section 20 a-d in the Handbook, and do the exercises 20-1 a-e.
Tues. Sept 19
4Read the introduction to the chapter titled “Observation,” including the essay “Soup” (pp. 83-94 in Text) and create the scratch outline requested on the bottom of page 92, typing up your observations based on the outline, as requested on the top of page 93. Come to class prepared to discuss the way the author has organized his material.
Thurs. Sept. 21
4Read “The Last Stop” (pp. 133-136) and respond in typed form: What are two questions the author must have asked to get the info in this profile about a mortuary? And what details has he observed physically, weaving them into the essay to reveal his point of view on the topic? Offer two details and explain their effect on you as a reader.
Tues. Sept. 26
4Read 32a-e in Handbook and do the exercises 32-1a-e and 32-2a-e.
4Find one article related to your profile topic, and bring it to class as well, having marked it to show which sentences you might quote from or refer to. Be sure to keep the necessary documentation info.
4Set up your profile interview, to be done in the next week, before next Tuesday (preferably on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday).
4Come to the designated site for our mock interview.
Thurs. Sept. 28
4Bring your profile interview notes to next class--Tuesday.
4Also read the “Guide to Writing Observational Essays” (pp. 146-153 in the Textbook) and bring two or three paragraphs that might serve as the introduction for your profile essay.
Tues. Oct. 3
4Read 37a-g in Handbook and do the exercises 37-1 a-e.
4Bring two copies of your draft of the Profile for peer reviewing during next class.
Thurs. Oct. 5
4Bring a final draft of Essay #2: The Profile. Be sure to put it in a folder, including assignment sheet, interview notes, peer reviews, and a copy of the related source (highlighted to show what might be quoted or referred to).
Tues. Oct. 10
4Sign up for your tutorial during the next week. No class on Thursday or next Tuesday. Come to my office during your designated meeting time. We will discuss a revision strategy for the Profile, and we can discuss any other concerns, including your current grade.
4Be prepared for a grammar test on return to class—Oct. 19. The test will cover sentence fragments (19), run-ons (20), and comma usage (32-33), which we have discussed in class. It will also cover distracting shifts in person, number, or verb tense (section 13a-b) and quotation marks (37), which we have not worked on yet. Please go ahead and read those new sections and do the exercises under 13-1, 13-2, and 37-1 a-e.
Thurs., Oct. 12
4No class. Come
to your sch
4Read 224-237 in Text and type your response to the Analyze and Write Exercises on page 234 in response to “Is Sex Necessary?”
Tues. Oct. 17
4No class. Come
to your sch
4Read 224-237 in Text and type your response to the Analyze and Write Exercises on page 234 in response to “Is Sex Necessary?”
Thurs. Oct. 19
4Read “Marked Women” (240-245 in Text) and type a one-paragraph argument against one of her points. Also, think of some other human behavior pattern that you find interesting, and briefly describe what is interesting about it.
4Read about plagiarism in the Handbook (Section 52).
4Finish revising your Profile Essay and bring it to next class in the folder along with all the old material for the assignment.
Tues. Oct. 24
4Bring a copy of the magazine, newsletter, newspaper, e-journal or other publication where you want to publish your informative report. Be sure to pick a publication that represents the type of readers who will be surprised and intrigued by your information.
4Type up a description of this audience (age, gender, income, geographic region, common interests, etc.). Also describe the common view(s) that they hold about your topic, and describe what surprise you will be presenting to them about your topic.
4Also read the sections in the Handbook on Integrating Sources (53a-c) and MLA Citations and Documentation (54a-b), and look closely at the proper documentation for electronic sources (pages 432-436).
Thurs. Oct. 26
4Read the sample essay in the Handbook (448-455) to learn about formatting. Look at the green marginal notes, too. Then come to class with copies of at least three sources related to your topic and with a proper “List of Works Cited” listing those three sources.
Tues. Oct. 31
4Prepare a typed outline for the Informative Report and bring a typed introduction (2-3 paragraphs) to class. Also, bring the copies of your sources, with highlighting to show what parts you might quote or refer to in the essay.
Thurs. Nov. 2
4Bring two copies of a typed draft of the Informative Report (including the List of Works Cited) for peer reviews.
Tues. Nov. 7
4Bring the final typed draft of the Informative Report (including proper citations and List of Works Cited). Be sure to include, at the top of the essay, a quick description of the target audience and magazine. Insert the essay into a folder with the assignment sheet, copies of the sources (highlighted to show what is being quoted or referred to), and peer reviews.
4Read 158-164 in the Text, which introduces Reflective Writing.
4Also, bring your Personal Experience Paper and the Profile Paper, along with their supporting materials (assignment sheets, research, interview notes, peer reviews, and drafts). It is best to keep them in their folders, as you handed them in. Bring the literacy autobiography, too (i.e., the paper about an early experience with writing or reading). We will begin to organize our portfolios for the end of the semester.
4Since we will be putting together the first half of the portfolio, keep these questions in mind as we develop the portfolio.
1. How did certain stages of your own writing help to teach you better writing skills? (Better might be defined as better able to develop the writing through recursive strategies.)
2. When you started the course, how did you view yourself as a writer? Has that changed? How?
3. Has you writing improved this semester? How? What still needs strengthening?
4. What are your hopes for your future as a writer and reader?
Thurs. Nov. 9
4Read the Essay “A Savage Life” (174-176) in the Text and type a response to these questions: 1.) What are your initial thoughts and feelings in response to the essay? Do you agree or disagree, and why? What are the underlying beliefs or values that the author is upholding and do you share these underlying beliefs or do you hold different ones? Explain.
Tues., Nov 14
4Read the “Guide to Writing a Reflective Essay” and come to class with a map of key points and supporting ideas, including a possible initial incident that would serve as the starting point and catalyst for your reflective essay.
Thurs., Nov 16
4Come to class with a typed-up initial incident that could serve as the introduction for your reflective essay.
Tues., Nov 21
4No class next time, due to Thanksgiving. Come back to class with notes from discussing your topic with one other person. These notes should reflect a substantial, meaningful interaction that got you thinking more deeply.
Tues., Nov 28
4No Class today!
4For next class, bring two copies of the rough draft of
your Reflective Essay, for peer reviews.
Also bring all your essays from the semester, along with related
material (peer reviews, copies of research sources, assignment sheets, etc.). We will be organizing them into a portfolio
and beginning to reflect on your progress toward the stated learning goals in
this course.
Thurs., Nov 30
4Bring the final draft of your Reflective Essay (being sure to keep an extra copy for your portfolio). This time I will take up only the essay, but the folder needs to include all the usual supporting materials, such as peer reviews and an assignment sheet, so that it can be used in the portfolio.
4Bring the assembled portfolio as well, along with a draft of the reflective letter about your own learning progress during the semester.
Tues., Dec 5
4Bring the assembled portfolio and the final draft of your reflective letter about the learning progress in this course.
Thurs., Dec 7
4Done!