2 thoughts on “1101_unit2and3”

  1. Ruth Garcia

    I think the assignments get at all the requirements for these two units. I specifically like that by allowing students to work on something that is of interest to them, it creates the opportunity for students to link the assignment to their intended major if they want to do so. I also think the example provided in the assignment is clear and helps students see how they might approach a topic through different genres. And the “Outline of Tasks” for Unit Three creates a really clear trajectory for the assignment.

    One question I had, and only because I’m curious to see what it is and how it works, is—what is a “Rhetorical Analysis of Sources Plan”?

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    1. Carrie Hall

      Kieran, there’s a lot about this I like, especially that you include the reflection assignment in the outcomes. What I’m confused about (and I think students may be too) is what the “report” is going to look like. Do you have examples of such a document? I ran into real trouble myself when I assigned my students a paper called a “curiosity report” in which I asked them to do a bunch of research, report back on it, but NOT write a paper. They had no idea what I was asking for. In reality, I was asking for an annotated bibliography.

      The example you use here is a strange one– it may make sense to you in context, but to me the reason your team lost is because they didn’t play as well. Why is this a mystery? What I’m saying is, I’m not sure this is a question that is going to illicit the greatest research from non-sports fans, honestly. I once had a student research why those who have been abused by partners return on average 16 times before leaving for good (the actual number, sadly). That is, I actually ask my students to research unanswerable questions. I’m not saying that’s the ONLY way to go, but you want a question that is very difficult to answer and that they may not answer in their brief research time, but may just deepen. This will give them a lot of digging to do.

      Unit 3 looks good. I would consider imbuing the project with a little bit more purpose. That is: you learned a lot in your research in unit 2. What is the most important thing you learned? Who needs to know and why? What is the best genre for reaching that audience and why? Now write in that genre. Make it clear that they’re not randomly picking a genre and audience and part of their research. Does that make sense?

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