Schedule

2.     Annotate: Tardy by Lynda Barry

So for these first few days, you get to vent about it! No kidding. Share your concerns with each other. Maybe give each other some advice or just a good old bit of support. Believe me — instructors have many of the same worries you do, even if we’ve been teaching for a while.

Here’s what you’ll do:

PLAY: with the website. Click around on all the tabs. See what’s there! We’ll be doing a great deal of work here this semester, so make yourself familiar with the site.

 READ/ WATCH: “Study Skills” (click the image with the lamp)

WRITE: a new post. Start with one word that describes how you’re feeling about this course and college in general as we get started. No need to explain, but you can if you want to.

§  Talk about your study skills. What works for you and what doesn’t? What do you need to learn how to do better?

§  Talk about your worries, concerns, reactions to the readings and/or to being a college student… whatever you want to. No censoring… except keep it kind of clean, please. And

§  Add a picture that means something to you, and explain why you chose it — why does it mean something to you?

§  Check back in and comment on your peers’ work!

1.     In-class diagnostic

2.     Student Success 

3.     Composition Skills Student Resource Page 

WRITE:  On the website, write a post of at least 300 words discussing the following questions. Also post the picture of your notes from the reading in this same post:

• In his article, Mike Bunn writes “You are already an author.” He’s talking to you.  What do you think he means by this? What are some of the things you write already?  (Hint: “Nothing” is not an acceptable answer.) Think of all of the ways you already use words in your everyday life. That’s authorship! How will that existing expertise help you in your college reading and writing career?
• Was there anything you noticed in Bunn’s article that you would like to try to do in your own writing? What, in particular? Please be specific!

2.     Paragraphs

READ AND ANNOTATE: “The Fourth of July” by Audre Lorde 

WRITE: (250 Words) So far in this unit, we have read (and heard) three examples from the genre of the “education narrative.”  Your first essay assignment in this class will be to write in this genre yourself. So in this discussion forum, I’d like us to have a conversation about what the features of this genre are. Please discuss some of the following:

• What, from what you’ve seen so far, are the “ingredients” (also known as “conventions”) of the education narrative genre?
• What do you think might be a place to get started with your own education narrative?
• What are your questions or concerns about writing an education narrative of your own?
• If you like, you can also feel free to share an educational experience you had and ask for feedback from your colleagues (and me) to see if we think that might be a solid place to begin writing.

1. Unit 1 Assignment Sheet
2. Concrete, Significant Detail 
3. Watch (and do exercise in) this Lynda Barry video on writing a scene

• THINK: Think of one specific incident that changed your views on education. Picture the scene.
• REVIEW : Please review the slideshow we watched in class about what paragraphs are.
• WRITE: a blog post of at least two distinct paragraphs describing one specific incident that changed your views on education using Concrete, Significant detail. The incident you described in class will be a great place to start.

1. Discuss Chat GPT and academic integrity

1. Asking me a question about Unit 1. This can be a question you have about the assignment or about your essay in particular or
2. Explaining to me how your essay is going.

Don’t use Chat GPT!!

If you have something else you want to talk about, feel free to write about that. These topics are really just there to give you ideas. Do your best to follow all the guidelines given in the handout! If you don’t get it right, that’s okay, but give it a shot.

1. READ AND ANNOTATE: Shitty First Drafts, Anne Lamott 

2.     Reading Strategies

THINK: Think about the following and be prepared to discuss—and write about it!—in class:

·      Reflect upon the article. This was not exactly an easy read. What, particularly, did you find confusing, irritating, boring or otherwise difficult? How did you overcome this?

·      What was something surprising that you learned in the article? Did it transform your understanding of procrastination in any particular way?

Again, be prepared to share your insights in class. You may be called upon, and you WILL be required to do some in-class writing that you will turn in.

1.     Procrastination Discussion.

2.     Sources

3.     Unit 2 Assignment Discussion

WRITE:  Blog Post (at least 300 words) In “A Talk to Teachers,” James Baldwin writes:

I would try to make [the student] know that just as American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it, so is the world larger, more daring, more beautiful and more terrible, but principally larger – and that it belongs to him. I would teach him that he doesn’t have to be bound by the expediencies of any given administration, any given policy, any given morality; that he has the right and the necessity to examine everything.

First of all, what do you think of what James Baldwin was saying? What do you think he means when he says “the world is larger?”

Secondly, what do you think you have the “necessity” to examine, or the obligation to learn more about? To put it another way: what do you wish had been taught to you in school that wasn’t? Why do you want to know about these topics?

1.     Discuss reflective annotated bibliography 

2.     Go over the Annotated Bibliography Road Map from the assignment sheet as well as previous student examples of source entries 

WRITE: Blog Post (at least 300 words): 

What is something you were interested in when you were a kid? Are you still interested in that topic? How did asking questions help you learn more about that topic?

If so, how has your curiosity changed and grown over the years? And what role did the educational system play in your curiosity (good or bad)?

If you are not interested in this topic anymore, what do you think happened to that interest? Do you remember the specific time you LOST interest?  What did you become interested in instead (and why?)

THINK: Start thinking about a topic you are interested in, something you might want to know more about.  This can be something heavy, like police brutality, or it can be something that seems on the surface more light-hearted, like ballet. The only criteria is that you are actually curious about it.

This may seem like strange advice, but it can be helpful to go for a walk and think about topics you’d like to write about. Come home and jot down a few notes. By (day 12) you will be expected to have some idea of a topic you’d like to research, even if it’s a bit vague. 

MEET IN LIBRARY AT OUR CLASS TIME!

2.     Student Example

WRITE: Write a blog post (at least 400 words) in which you introduce your research question. You may find your topic anywhere–from Unit One to the blog posts we wrote last week, to your peers’ blog posts! (It’s really okay if two people write about the same topic–I promise you.)

What is important here–and I can’t stress this enough–is that you research something you want to know more about, not something you think you already know the answer to.  You may be curious to know why there are so few African American ballerinas in major companies, or you may want to know how much “housing projects” have changed in New York since James Baldwin wrote “A Talk to Teachers” in 1963, or you may want to know what we really learn from playing computer games.  Just be curious. REMEMBER YOU MUST GET YOUR TOPIC APPROVED BY ME!

Write it in question form (it can’t be a yes-or-no question, though) You must cover all of the questions in bold:

• Why are you interested in this question?  (Feel free to talk about your own personal experience with the topic, or to tell an anecdote about your experience with this subject matter)
• What do you expect to find in your research? (Why do you expect to find this?) Remember that it’s okay to be wrong– you might find a completely different answer than the one you intended to find. You won’t get marked down for that!

Spend some time on this–because this will serve as the first draft of the introduction for your annotated bibliography!

2.     Student Example

3.     In-class research time [Bring a laptop, tablet, or—at least—a smartphone.]

RESEARCH: Begin compiling and reading/viewing sources you can possibly use for your RAB.

a.     Finding good search terms

b.    Evaluating sources 

2.     Student Example

3.     In-class work [Bring a laptop, tablet, or—at least—a smartphone.]

a.     The “quote sandwich”

b.    The IQIAA method

2.     Citation

3.     In-class work [Bring a laptop, tablet, or—at least—a smartphone.]

2.     Continue discussion of quotation and citation

3.     In-class Conferencing

4.     In-class work [Bring a laptop, tablet, or—at least—a smartphone.]

2.     In-class Conferencing

3.     In-class work [Bring a laptop, tablet, or—at least—a smartphone.]

2.     Student Example

3.     Compiling Your Bibliography

Ensure that you include your conclusion (at least 400 words).

For your conclusion:

• You will summarize what you found in your research.
• You will tell readers what surprised you, or how your understanding of your question deepened or changed. (Spoiler: if the answer is “not at all”, you did not do enough research.)
• You will explain why what you learned is important
• You will explain who you think needs to know about it and why (Another spoiler: be specific!  The answer cannot be “everyone.” That is too big of an audience.  Narrow it down to who needs to hear about it first!)

1.     RAB Peer Review Activity

1.  Unit Three Assignment Sheet
2. Consider past Unit 3 assignments
3.  Begin talking about final portfolio
4. Brainstorming Activity

In this unit, you’ll be writing about the topic you researched in Unit 2 for an audience of your choosing– so now it’s time to think about what genre you think will best reach your audience!

WRITE:  You will need to write a proposal of at least 200 words outlining what you plan to do for Unit 3. Post to website. This proposal should tell us:

• A 1-2 sentence statement of what you want to teach your audience (the most important thing you learned in Unit 2).
• The audience you are trying to reach.
• The genre you are planning to write in and why you chose it.
• A plan–how do you intend to get started? What will be your FIRST STEP?
• Anything you might be worried about.  What are your concerns about finishing this project?

1.     “Know Your Publication” activity

2.     Mentor Text Activity

WRITE: Rough Draft of Artist Statement 

2.     Discuss Final Portfolio

WRITE: A Complete Rough Draft of Artist’s Statement

2.     In-Class Work Time

3.     Discuss Final Portfolio

1.     Unit 3 Show and Tell

2.     Discuss Revisions and Portfolio Assignment

WRITE: Your final reflection

2.     Continue Discussion of Revisions and Portfolio Assignment

WRITE: Your final reflection